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YOUATT 

ON 

THE  STRUCTURE 

AND    TUB 

DISEASES  OF  THE  HORSE, 

WITH  THEIR  REMEDIES. 

ALSO, 

PlIACTICAL  RULES  TO  BTJTERS,  BREEDERS,  BREAKERS,  SMITHS,  ETC. 

BEING 

THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  PARTS  OF  THE  ENGLISH  EDITION  OF  "  YOUATT 
ON  THE  HORSE,"  SOMEWHAT  SIMPLIFIED. 

BROUGHT    DOWN 

BY   W.   C.  SPOONER,M.  K.  C.  V.  S., 

AOrnOR  OF  SEVERAL  VETERINARIAN  WORKS, 
TO  WHICH    IS    PREFIXED, 

AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  BREEDS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES, 

CX)MPILED  BY 

HENRY    S.  RANDALL. 

W!TH  NUMEROUS  ILLUSTliATIONS. 


NEW    TOEK: 

C.   M.    SAXTON,    BAEKER   <fe    CO., 

25    PABK    ROW. 

1860. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1850,  by 

DEE  BY    &    MILLEE, 

la  the  Clerk's  Office  for  the  Northern  District  of  New  York. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


The  universal  popularity  and  pre-eminence  in  the  pub- 
lic favor,  both  in  this  country  and  England,  of  Mr 
Youatt's  work  on  the  Horse,  is  well  known.  It  has  had  a 
far  wider  circulation  in  the  United  States  than  any  other 
veterinary  work,  and  but  for  one  or  two  circumstances, 
it  is  believed,  had  prevented  it  from  attaining  a  still 
vastly  wider  circulation, — from  becoming  the  common 
hand-book  of  nearly  every  farmer  in  the  land  w^ho  breeds 
or  owns  horses,  who  is  willing  to  read  anything  on  a  sub- 
ject in  which  he  is  so  much  interested. 

The  first  of  these  circumstances  is  the  size  of  Mr. 
Youatt's  entire  work.  This  renders  it  too  expensive  for 
general  circulation.  And  it  is  too  minute  and  voluminous 
in  its  details  for  ordinary  readers.  This  elaborateness,  so 
far  from  aiding,  confuses  the  common  reader  ;  the  precise 
facts  which  he  seeks — the  symptoms  and  remedies  of  dis- 
eases, &c., — are  too  often  so  scattered  through  the  glow- 
ing amplifications  of  the  accomplished  author,  that  it  is 
difficult  to  clearly  distinguish,  collect,  and  apply  them. 
And  many  are  repelled  not  only  from  the  work  itself,  but 
from  reading  the  author's  discussion  of  a  disease,  a  point 
in  breeding,  or  the  like,  from  impatience  of  its  mere 
»,  ^47,  ij^  ^  work  of  this  kind,  more  perhaps  than  any- 
where else,  applies  the  often  quoted  remark  of  Dr. 
Johnson :  "  Books  that  you  may  carry  to  the  fire,  and 
hold  reading  in  your  hand,  are  most  useful  after  all 
A  man  will  often  look  at  them,  and  be  tempted  to  go  on, 
when  he  v^ould  have  been  frightened  at  books  of  a  larger 
stzc,  an-d  of  a  more  erudite  appear anr p.  " 


JV  rNTRODUCTORY. 

The  followino:  abridsfment  is  intended  to  obviate  the 
above  objections.  While  it  is  believed,  that  every  thought 
or  fact  in  the  original,  of  any  importance  to  the  general 
reader,  is  preserved  entire^  much  that  tended  to  sw^ell  un- 
necessarily the  limits  of  the  work  for  such  a  reader,  has 
been  omitted.  The  omissions  have  been  merely  anec- 
dotes, historical  narrations,  accounts  of  particular  cases, 
and,  in  some  instances,  the  less  necessary  parts  of  those 
long  anatomical  descriptions  which  could  be  understood 
only  by  the  surgeon.  The  symptoms  and  remedies  of  dis- 
eases— all  that  tends  to  the  full  understanding  of  the 
horse  and  his  ailments,  is  given  entire,  and  almost  invari- 
ably in  the  precise  language  of  Mr.  Yoiiatt.  The  aim 
of  this  work  has  not  been  to  re-write  Youatt, — but  simply 
to  strike  out  what  is  superfluous  in  him. 

The  second  circumstance  prejudicial  to  a  wide,  popular 
circulation  of  Mr.  Youatt's  work,  has  been,  according  to 
the  common  phrase,  the  "learnedness  of  its  language." 
The  work,  as  again  and  again  avowed  in  it,  was  not  so 
much  written  to  instruct  the  horse-owner  or  breeder,  as 
the  veterinary  surgeon — at  least  in  relation  to  important 
diseases,  operations,  &c.  Mr.  Youatt  is  therefore  often 
at  little  pains  to  make  himself  intelligible  to  uninstructed 
readers.  His  language  is  always  learned — frequently 
highly  technical.  So  far  as  it  could  be  conveniently  and 
properly  done,  an  attempt  has  been  made  in  the  following 
pages,  to  translate  his  language  into  that  better  adapted 
to  ordinary  comprehension.  A  common  word  is  often 
substituted  for  the  more  learned  one  of  Mr.  Youatt,  or  an 
explanatory  one  put  after  it  in  brackets.  The  former  is 
all  the  liberty  taken  in  this  way  with  the  text, — and 
this  is  only  done  where  the  meaning  could  be  accurately 
preserved. 

But  every  thinking  man  will  readily  see  from  the  very 
nature  of  the  subject,  that  the  improvement  to  be  made 
on  the  text  in  the  above  particulars  is  limited.  "When 
speaking  of  anatomical  details,  diseases,  particular  pro- 
cesses, &c.,  no  language  is  fixed  and  definite  but  that  of 
science.  And  it  frequently  obviates  the  necessity  of  verjr 
tedious  and  often  repeated  circumlocution.  Take  for  ex- 
ample the   word  "  auscultation^''^  which  signifies  dis+i" 


INTRODUCTORY. 


guishing  disease  by  observing  the  sounds  in  the  part,  by 
means  of  the  ear,  with  or  without  a  tube,  appHed  to  the 
surface.  Is  it  necessary  to  repeat  all  this^every  time  this 
process  is  adverted  to  ?  Clearly  not.  The  word  "  Thorax''' 
signifies  the  cavity  of  the  body  above  or  forward  of  the 
diaphragm  or  midriff, — the  w^ord  "  Abdomen'''  the  cavity 
of  the  body  below  or  behind  the  diaphragm.  Can  any 
common  words — any  of  the  terms  of  vulgar  quackery — 
be  given  which  will  definitely  express  the  above  ideas, 
and  ivhich  can  be  any  ivay  more  easily  remembered  than 
these  ?  There  cannot.  In  all  such  cases,  therefore,  no 
change  of  language  is  attempted.  And  Webster's  Dic- 
tionary will  help  the  reader  out  of  every  difiiculty  of  this 
kind. 

We  have  here  a  remark  to  submit  to  all  readers,  and 
especially  the  young  reader,  in  relation  to  the  propep 
MANNER  OF  READING  YouATT — wlicrc  the  aim  is  to  full\ 
understand  him,  or  the  subject  which  he  treats.  Thiu 
never  can  be  done  by  dipping  into  the  book  here  and 
there,  in  search  of  information  now  on  one  topic,  and  now 
on  another,  as  the  occasion  seems  to  demand  it.  The 
work  should  be  read  consecutively  and  carefully  from  be- 
ginning to  end.  If  this  is  done,  and  the  reader  fixes  in 
his  mind  anatomical  names  and  details^  as  he  advances, 
he  will  have  no  difficulty  in  fully  understanding  every 
part,  and  he  will  be  infinitely  better  prepared  to  form  a 
correct  judgment  in  any  case  where  he  is  called  upon  to 
make  a  practical  application  of  his  knowledge.  The 
horse-owner  who  takes  this  course  will  find  Youatt's 
work  an  invaluable  advantage  to  him — worth  a  thousand 
of  the  common  empirical  recipe  books  on  farriery.  The 
one  w4io  does  not,  will  find  it,  or  afiy  other  ivork,  of  little 
avail. 

W.  C.  Spooner,  Esq.,  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
veterinary  writers  and  practitioners  of  England,  wrote,  in 
1849,  a  Supplement  to  Mr.  Youatt's  work,  designed  to 
*'  advance  it  to  the  present  state  of  veterinary  science.'' 
All  that  is  of  any  importance  in  this  supplement — in  fact, 
most  of  Mr.  Spooner's  additional  remarks  entire,  have 
been  added  to  the  present  work  in  the  convenient  form 
of  notes.      Several  of  them  will  be  found  valuable.     And 


VI  INTRODirCTOriY. 

we  conceive  this  gives  the  work  a  decided  advantage 
over  any  previous  American  edition. 

We  are  enabled  to  point  with  much  pleasure  to  the 
illustrations  in  our  volume.  They  are  much  more  com- 
plete in  execution  than  those  of  any  other  similar  Amer- 
ican publications,  and  are  decidedly  superior  to  those 
,>f  the  late  English  editions  of  Youatt.  They  are  fully 
equal  to  the  original  English  cuts. 

The  present  abridgment  has  been  carefully  prepared 
by  a  distinguished  and  well-known  iVmerican  agricul- 
turist, whose  writings  have  been  extensively  read 
throughout  the  United  States,  for  years.  The  peli mi- 
nary  chapter  in  relation  to  the  breeds  now  in  the  United 
States,  was  complied  by  Henry  S.  Eandall,  Esq.,  it  be- 
ing thought  that  this  would  be  much  more  valuable  to 
the  American  reader,  than  Mr.  Youatt's  first  chapter. 
We  believe  that  the  author  has  been  fortunate  in  the 
execution  of  his  task,  and  we  present  the  work  to  the 
public  in  the  confident  belief  that  we  are  rendering  a 
valuable  service  to  an  important  department  of  Ameri- 
can Agriculture. 
^  The  Publisheks. 


CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION  BY  THE   PUBLISHERS. 
CHAPTER  I. 

PaOE 

Breeds  of  Horses  in  the  United  States 17 

The  English  Race  Horse l7 

The  Arabiim 25 

The  Canadian 29 

The  Norman 29 

The  Morgan 36 

The  Cleveland  Bay 38 

The  Dray 39 

The  Trotting  Horse 40 

CHAPTER  11. 

The  Zoological  Classification  of  the  House 44 

The  Sensorial  Function 46 

CHAPTER  III. 

lujURiES  AND  Diseases   of   the  Skull — the    Brain — the   Ears — and 

THE  Eyes 68 

Fracture 68 

Exostosis 68 

Caries 68 

Compression  of  the  Brain 69 

Pressure  on  the  Brain 69 

Megrims  . .  ^ 69 

Apoplexy 70 

Phrenitis 74 

Rabies,  or  Madness 76 

Tetanus,  or  Locked  Jaw 79 

Cramp 82 

Stringhalt 83 

Chorea 83 

Fits,  or   Epilepsy 84 


VUl  CONTENTS. 

Palsy 84 

Rheumatism 85 

Neurotomy 86 

Insanity 90 

Diseases  of  tlie  Eye 91 

Common  Inflammation  of  the  Eye 93 

Specific  Ophthalmia,  or  Moon-Blmdness 94 

Gutta  Serena 97 

Diseases  of  the  Ear 98 

Deafness 98 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Anatomy  and  Diseases  of  the  Nose  and  Mouth 99 

Nasal   Polypus 104 

Nasal  Gleet,  or  Discharge  from  the  Nose 104 

Ozena 105 

Glanders 107 

Farcy 114 

The  Lips 117 

The  Bones  of  the  Mouth 118 

The  Palate 118 

Lampas 119 

The  Lower  Jaw 120 

Diseases  of  the  Teeth 130 

The  Tongue 131 

Diseases  of  the  Tongue 132 

The  Salivary  Glands 132 

Strangles 133 

The  Pharynx 135 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  Anatomy  and  Diseases  of  the  Neck  and   Neighboring  Pakts  136 

PoU-Eva 136 

The  Muscles  and  proper  form  of  the  Neck 138 

The  Blood- Vessels  of  the  Neck 140 

The  Veins  of  the  Neck , 140 

Inflammation  of  the  Vein 141 

The  Palate 142 

The   Larynx 142 

The  Trachea  or  Windpipe 143 

Tracheotomy 143 

The  Bronchial  Tubes 144 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Tht:   Chest 146 

The  Spine  and  Back 149 

The  Loins 160 


CONTENTS.  IX 

PAOE 

The  Withers 1 50 

Fistulous    Withers 151 

Warbles,  Sitfasts,  and  Saddle  Galls 151 

Chest-Founder 152 


CHAPTER,  YII. 

The  Coxtknts  of  the  Chest 153 

The  Thymus  Gland 153 

The  Diaphragm 153 

Rupture  of  the  Diaphragm , 154 

The  Pleura 154 

The  Lungs 155 

The  Heart 155 

Diseases  of  the  Heart 156 

The  Arteries 158 

The  Pulse 158 

Inflammation 160 

Fever 163 

The  Veins 164 

Bog  and  Blood  Spavin 164 

Bleeding 166 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 

Thj!-   MEAfBRANE    OF    THE    N'OSE 169 

Catarrh,  or  Cold 169 

Inflammation  of  the  Larynx 170 

Inflammation  of  the  Trachea 172 

Roaring 172 

Bronchocele 174 

Epidemic  Catarrh 176 

The  Malignant  Epidemic 181 

Bronchitis 184 

Pneumonia — Inflammation  of  the  Lnngs 186 

Chronic  Cough 193 

Thick  Wind 194 

Broken  Wind 196 

Phthisis  Pulmonalis,  or  Consumption 199 

Pleurisy 200 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Tas  Abdomen  and  its  Contents 206 

The   Stomach 206 

Bots 208 

The  Intestines 210 

Tlie  Liver 213 

The  Pancreas 213 

Tlie  Spleen 213 

The  Omentum 213 

A 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEU  X. 

PAGK 

The  Diseases  of  the  Intestines 215 

The  Duodenum 216 

Spasmodic  Colic 215 

Flatulent  Colic , 218 

Inflammation  of  the  Bowels 220 

Enteritis 220 

Physicking 224 

Calculi,  or  Stones,  in  the  Intestines 226 

Introsusception  of  the  Intestines 226 

Entanglement  of  the  Bowels 226 

Worms 227 

Hernia,  or  Rupture 227 

Diseases  of  the  Liver , 228 

Jaundice 229 

The  Kidneys 230 

Inflammation  of  the  Kidneys 231 

Diabetes,  or  Profuse  Staling 233 

Bloody  Urine — Haematuria 233 

Albuminous  Urine 234 

The  Bladder 234 

Inflammation  of  the  Bladder 234 

Stone  in  the  Bladder 236 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Breeding,  Castration,  &c. 237 

Castration 244 


CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Fore  Legs 247 

Sprain  of  the  Shoulder 24f 

Slanting  direction  of  the  Shoulder 247 

The  Humerus,  or  Lower  Bone  of  the  Shoulder 252 

The  Arm 252 

The  Knee 253 

Broken  Knees 254 

The  Leg ...256 

Splint 256 

Sprain  of  the  Back-Sinews 258 

Wind-Galls 261 

The  Pasterns 263 

Injuries  to  the  Suspensory  Ligament 265 

The  Fetlock 265 

Grogginess 265 

Cutting 266 

Sprain  of  the  Coffin-Joint 26fJ 

Ringbone .     , 268 


CONTENTK. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

PAGE 

Th£   IIixD   Legs 271 

The  Haunch 271 

TheThigh 272 

The  Stifle 275 

Thorough-Pin 277 

The  Hock 277 

Enlargement  of  the  Hock 279 

Curb 280 

Bog  Spavin 281 

Bone  Spavin 283 

Capped  Hock 285 

Mallenders  and  Sallenders 286 

SweUed  Legs 287 

Grease 288 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  foot 293 

The  Crust  or  WaU  of  the  Hoof 294 

The  Coronary  Ring 296 

The  Bars 296 

The  Horny  Laminae 297 

The  Sole 297 

The  Frog 29S 

The  Cofiin-Bone 299 

The  Sensible  Sole 300 

The  Sensible  Frog 300 

The  Navicular  Bone 300 

The  Cartilages  of  the  Foot 801 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Diseases  of  the  Foot 302 

Inflammation  of  the  Foot,  or  Acute  Founder 802 

Chronic  Founder 805 

Pumiced  Feet 305 

Contraction 807 

The  Navicular -Joint  Disease 811 

Sand-Crack 817 

Tread  and  Over-reach 319 

False  Quarter 820 

Quittor 321 

Prick  or  Wound  in  the  Sole  or  Crust 824 

Corns 826 

Thrush 828 

Canker 380 

Ossification  of  the  Cartilages 331 

Weakness  of  the  Foot S31 


U\  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


Paos 
PaACTUREs ••••• 388 


CHAPTER  XVn. 

On  Shoeing 843 

The  putting  on  the  Shoe 345 

Calkins 346 

Clips 346 

The  hinder  Shoe 347 

Different  kinds  of  Shoes 347 

The  Concave-seated  Shoe 348 

The  Unilateral,  or  one  side  nailed  Shoe 349 

The  Hunting  Shoe 351 

The  Bar  Shoe 352 

Tips 352 

The  Expanding  Shoe 353 

Felt  or  Leather  Soles 353 

Stopping  the  Feet 355 

The  Sandal 666 

To  Manage  a  Fallen  Horse 358 


CHAPTER  XVm. 

DrERATioNS 359 

Bleeding 361 

Blistering 362 

Fu-ing 364 

Setons 366 

Docking 367 

Nickins: 368 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  Vices  and  Disagreeable  or   Dangerous  Habits  of  the  Horse  870 

Restiveness 370 

Backing  or  Gibbing 370 

Biting ,. 372 

Getting  the  Cheek  of  the  Bit  into  the  Mouth 372 

Kicking 373 

Unsteadiness  while  being  Mounted 374 

Rearing 374 

Running  Away •  •  375 

Vicious  to  Clean 375 

Vicious  to  Shoe 376 

Swallowing  without  Grinding 377 

Crib-]^iting 378 


CONTENTS.  JiJll 

Paob 

Wind-Suckmg . .  379 

Cutting 379 

Not  Lying  Down 380 

Overreach 380 

Pawing 380 

Quidding 381 

RolUng 381 

Shying 381 

Slipping  the  Collar 383 

Tripping 384 

Weaving «>o'* 


CHAPTER  XX. 

The  General  Management  of  the  Horse 385 

Air 385 

Litter 387 

Light 388 

Grooming 389 

Exercise 391 

Food 392 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  Sktn  and  its  Diseases 405 

Hide-bound 407 

Pores  of  the  Skin 409 

Moulting 410 

Color 411 

Surfeit - 415 

Mange 416 

Warts    419 

Vermin 419 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
Ov  Soundness,  and  the  Purchase  and  Sale  of  Horses 420 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A  List  of  the  Medicines  used  in  the  Treatment  of  the  Diseases  oj- 
THE  Horse 435 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PORTRAIT   OF    CCNSTERNAIION,      .  .  •  .  FRONUSP 

PORTRAIT    OF    FLYING    CHILDERS, 

PORTRAIT    OF    LOUIS    PHILIPPE   (NORMAN),    ,  .  . 

PORTRAIT    OF    GENERAL    GIFFORD    (MORGAN), 
PORTRAIT    OF    LADY    SUFFOLK  (tROTTER),  .  .  • 

FIG.     1.    SKELETON    OF    THE    HORSE,  .  .  • 

"        2.    BONES    OF    THE    HORSE's  HEAD,      .  •  . 

"        3.    SECTION   OF    THE    HORSE's    HEAD,      . 

"       4.   DIAGRAM    OF    THE    SKULL,    .... 

«       6.   OCCIPITAL    BONE   OF   THE    HORSE,       . 

«        6.    SPINAL   CHORD,  WITH   BRANCHING    NERVES,    . 

"        7.    SECTION    OF    THE    EYE,     .... 

"        8.    MUSCLES    OF    THE    EYE,  .... 

"        9.    HORSE    WITH    LOCKJAW,  .... 

"     10.   ANATOMY   OF    THE    LEG   AND   FOOT, 

••     11.    SECTION    OF    UPPER   JAW   BONE, 

•*     12.    MUSCLES,   NERVES,   AND    BLOOD-VESSELS    OF    THE 
AND   UPPER   PART   OF   NECK, 

«     13.    THE   PALATE, 

«     14.    TEETH   OF   A   FOAL   A   FEW  DAYS   AFTER   BIRTH, 

«     15.    TEETH    OF    A    FOAL    AT    TWO    MONTHS,       . 

"     16.    TEETH    OF    A   FOAL    AT    TWELVE    MONTHS,     . 

"     17.    TRANSVERSE    SECTION    OF    A    GRINDER,      . 

"     18.    TEETH    OF    A   YEAR   AND    A   HALF, 

"     19.    TEETH    OF    THREE    YEARS, 

*'     20.    TEETH   AT   THREE   YEARS   AND   A   HALF,       • 

"     21.    TEETH   AT   FIVE    YEARS, 

**     22.    TEETH   AT    SIX   YEARS,  .  .  .  • 

"     23.    TEETH    AT    SEVEN    YEARS, 

**     24.    TEETH  AT  EIGHT   OR   NINE   YEARS, 
•*     25.    FINEST   SHAPE    OF    HEAD   AND   NECK, 


HEAD 


18 
30 
35 
41 
45 
47 
49 
53 
54 
67 
62 
66 
79 
87 
101 

102 
118 
121 
121 
122 
123 
123 
124 
126 
126 
127 
128 
128 
138 


CVl  LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Paor 

FIG.  26.    THE    RIBS   AND    VERTEBR-E,             '           .           .           .            .  145 

"  27.    THE    STOMACH, 206 

"  28.    THE    BOT    FLY   IN    ITS   VARIOUS   STAGES,         .            .            .  208 

"  29.    THE    INTESTINES, 210 

"  30.    SECTION    OF    THE    BLIND    GUT,          .            .                         .            .  212 

"  31.    ENTANGLEMENT    OF    THE    INTESTINES,         ....  226 

"  32.    CURVED    AND    STRAIGHT   CATHETER,      .                       .           .  336 

"  33.    BONES    Oy     THE    LEGS,         ....                        .            .  247 

"  34.  simple  lever, .        .  248 

"  35.  muscles  of  outside  of  the  shoulder,       .        .        .  250) 

"  36.  muscles  of  inside  of  shoulder  and  forearm,  251 

"  37.  section  of  the  pastern, 263 

•  38.  inside  view  of  bones  of  pastern,           .        .        .  267 

"  39.  outside  view  of  bones  of  pastern,    ....  267 

*•  40.  attachments  of  the  muscles  of  pastern,      .  267 

"  41.  diseases  of  the  fore  leg, 269 

"  42.  inside  muscles  of  hind  leg, 273 

"  43.  outside  muscles  of  hind  leg, 274 

"  44.  the  haunch  and  hind  legs, 276 

"  45.  the  hock  joint, 278 

"  46.  anatomy  of  the  foot,      .        .                ...  293 

"  47.  anatomy  of  the  base  of  the  foot,  .                .        .  293 

"  48.  the  coronary  ring,          .....  296 

"  49.  percevall's  suspensory  apparatus,    .        .                 .  334 

"  50.  the  concave  seated  shoe.       ....  348 

"  51.  the  unilateral  shoe,                  ....  350 

"  52.  operation  for  corns,        .                 .        .        .         .  351 

"  63.  percevall's  sandal,     .......  356 

■"  64.  percevall's  sandal  fastened  TO  THE  FOOT,  ,     •  36" 


THE    HORSE 


CHAPTER   I 


PRINCIPAL     BREEDS   AND    VARIETIES    OF   HORSES     IN     THE 
UNITED    STATES. 

The  horse  was  not  known  on  any  part  of  the  American  Conti- 
nent, until  introduced  by  Europeans. 

The  principal  breeds  and  varieties  which  now  prevail  in  the 
United  States,  are  the  common  horse,  descended  from  the  horses 
originally  introduced  by  the  English  colonists,  and  mixed,  more 
or  less,  Mdth  varieties  of  later  introduction  :  the  thorough-bred 
or  Race-horse  ;  the  Arabian  ;  the  Canadian  ;  the  Norman  ;  the 
Morgan ;  the  Cleveland  Bay ;  the  Dray ;  and  the  American 
Trotting-horse. 

The  mongrel  kno\\Ti  as  the  "  common  horse,"  is  too  various 
in  blood,  and  too  multiform  in  his  characteristics,  to  admit  of  any 
particular  description. 

THE    RACE-HORSE. 

Mr.  Youatt  says  :  "  There  is  much  dispute  with  regard  to  the 
origin  of  the  thorough-bred  horse.  By  some  he  is  traced  through 
both  sire  and  dam  to  Eastern  parentage  ;  others  believe  him  to 
be  the  native  horse,  improved  and  perfected  by  judicious  crossing 
with  the  Barb,  the  Turk,  or  the  Arabian.  The  Stud  Book, 
which  is  an  authority  acknowledged  by  every  Enghsh  breeder, 
traces  all  the  old  racers  to  some  Eastern  origin  ;  or  it  traces 
them  until  the  pedigree  is  lost  in  the  uncertainty  of  an  early  pe- 
riod of  breeding.  If  the  pedigree  of  a  racer  of  the  present  day 
be  required,  it  is  traced  back  to  a  certain  extent,  and  ends  with 
a  well-known  racer  ;  or,  if  an  earlier  derivation  be  required,  that 
ends  with  an  Eastern  horse,  or  in  obscurity. 

It  must   on  the  whole,  be  allowed,  that  the  present    Enjrlish 


FLYING     CHILDERS. 


thorough-l)red  horse  is  of  foreign  extraction,  improved  and  per- 
fected by  the  influence  of  the  cHmate,  and  by  diligent  cultivation. 
There  are  some  exceptions,  as  in  the  case  of  Sampson  and  Bay- 
Malton,  in  each  of  whom,  although  the  best  horses  of  their  day, 
there  was  a  cross  of  vulgar  blood  ;  but  they  are  only  exceptions 
to  a  general  rule.  In  our  best  racing  stables,  and,  particularly 
in  the  studs  of  the  Earls  of  Grosvenor  and  Egremont,  this  is 
an  acknowledged  principle  ;  and  it  is  not,  when  properly  con- 
sidered, a  principle  at  all  derogatory  to  the  credit  of  the  country. 
The  British  climate,  and  British  skill,  made  the  thorough-bred 
horse  what  he  is. 

The  beautiful  tales  of  Eastern  countries,  and  somewhat  re- 
moter days,  may  lead  us  to  imagine  that  the  Arabian  horse  pos- 
sesses marvellous  powers  ;  but'  it  cannot  admit  of  a  doubt,  ^;hat 
the  English  trained  horse  is  more  beautiful,  and  far  swifter  and 
stouter  than  the  justly-famed  coursers  of  the  desert.  In  the 
burning  plains  of  the  East,  and  the  frozen  climate  of  Russia,  he 
has  invariably  beaten  every  antagonist  on  his  native  ground.  A 
few  years  ago  Recruit,  an  English  horse  of  moderate  reputation, 
easily  beat  Pyp^amus,  the  best  Arabian  on  the  Bengal  side  of 
India. 

It  must  not  be  objected,  that  the  numoer  of  Eastern  horses  mi- 
ported  is  far  too  small  to  produce  so  numerous  a  progeny.  It 
will  be  recollected,  that  the  thousands  of  wild  horses  on  the 
plains  of  South  America  descended  from  only  two  stallions  and 
four  mares,  which  the  early  Spanish  adventurers  left  there. 


FLYING    CHILDERS  ^^ 

Whatevei  may  be  thi,  truth  as  to  the  origin  of  the  race-horse, 
the  strictest  attention  has  for  the  last  fifty  years  been  paid  to 
pedigree.  In  the  descent  of  almost  every  miodern  racer,  not  the 
slightest  flaw  can  be  discovered  :  or  when,  with  the  splendid  ex- 
ception of  Sampson  and  Bay-Malton,  one  drop  of  common  blood 
has  mingled  with  the  pure  stream,  it  has  been  immediately  de- 
tected in,  the  inferiority  of  form,  and  deficiency  of  bottom,  and 
it  has  required  two  or  three  generations  to  wipe  away  the  stain, 
and  get  rid  of  its  consequences. 

The  racer  is  generally  distinguished  by  his  beautiful  Arabian 
head  ;  his  fine  and  finely-set-on  neck  ;  his  oblique,  lengthened 
shoulders ;  well-bent  hinder  legs ;  his  ample,  muscular  quar- 
ters ;  his  flat  legs,  rather  short  from  the  laiee  downward,  although 
not  always  so  deep  as  they  should  be  ;  and  his  long  and  elastic 
pastern.  These  are  separately  considered  where  the  structure  of 
the  horse  is  treated  of. 

The  racer,  however,  with  the  m.ost  beautiful  form,  is  occa- 
sionally a  sorry  animal.  There  is  sometimes  a  want  of  energy 
in  an  apparently  faultless  shape,  for  which  there  is  no  account- 
ing ;  but  there  are  two  points  among  those  just  enumerated, 
which  will  rarely  or  never  deceive,  a  well-placed  shoulder  and 
a  well-bent  hinder  leg. 

The  Darley  Arabian  was  the  parent  of  our  best  racing  stock 
He  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Darley's  brother,  at  Aleppo,  and  was 
bred  in  the  neighboring  desert  of  Palmyra. 

The  immediate  descendants  of  this  invaluable  horse,  were  the 
Devonshire  or  Flying  Childers  ;  the  Bleeding  or  Bartlett's  Chil- 
ders,  who  was  never  trained  ;  Almanzor,  and  others. 

The  two  Childers  were  the  means  through  which  the  blood 
and  fame  of  their  sire  were  widely  circulated,  and  from  them 
descended  another  Childers,  Blaze,  Snap,  Sampson,  Eclipse,  and 
a  host  of  excellent  horses. 

The  Devonshire  or  Flying  Childers,  so  called  from  the 
name  of  his  breeder,  Mr.  Childers,  of  Carr-House,  and  the  sale 
of  him  to  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  was  the  fleetest  horse  of  his 
day.  He  was  at  first  trained  as  a  hunter,  but  the  superior  speed 
and  courage  which  he  discovered  caused  him  to  be  soon  trans- 
ferred to  the  turf.  Common  report  affirms,  that  he  could  run  a 
mile  in  a  minute,  but  there  is  no  authentic  record  of  this.  Chil- 
ders ran  over  the  round  course  at  Newmarket  (three  miles  six  fur- 
longs and  ninety -three  yards)  in  six  minutes  and  forty  seconds; 
and  the  Beacon  course  (four  miles  one  furlong  and  one  hundred 
and  thirty- eight  yards)  in  seven  minutes  and  thirty  seconds.  In 
1772  a  mile  was  rim  by  Firetail,  in  one  minute  and  four  seconds 

In  October,  174.,  at  the  Curragh  meeting  in  Ireland,  Mr. 
Wilde  engaged  to  ride  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  miles  id 


20  ECLIPSE. 

nine  hours.  He  performed  it  in  six  hours  and  tewntyoue  min 
utes.  He  employed  ten  horses,  and,  allowing  for  mounting  and 
dismounting,  and  a  moment  for  refreshment,  he  rode  for  six 
hours  at  the  rate  of  twenty  miles  an  hour. 

Mr  Thornhill,  in  1745,  exceeded  this,  for  he  lude  from  Stil- 
ton to  London  and  back,  and  again  to  Stilton,  bcnig  two  hun- 
dred and  thirteen  miles,  in  eleven  hours  and  thirty -four  minutes, 
which  is,  after  allowing  the  least  possible  time  for  changing 
horses,  twenty  miles  an  hour  for  eleven  hours,  and  on  the  turn- 
pike road  and  uneven  ground. 

Mr.  Shaftoe,  in  1762,  with  ten  horses,  and  five  of  them  ridden 
twice,  accomplished  fifty  miles  and  a  quarter,  in  one  hour  and 
forty-nine  minutes.  In  1763,  Mr.  Shaftoe  won  a  more  extraor- 
dinary match.  He  was  to  procure  a  person  to  ride  one  hundred 
miles  a  day,  on  any  one  horse  each  day,  for  twenty-nine  days 
together,  and  to  have  any  number  of  horses  not  exceeding  twenty- 
nine.  He  accomplished  it  on  fourteen  horses ;  and  on  one  day 
he  rode  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  on  account  of  the  tiring  of 
his  first  horse. 

Mr.  Hull's  duibbler,  however,  afforded  the  most  extraordinar}' 
mstance  on  record,  of  the  stoutness  as  well  as  speed  of  the  race- 
horse. In  December,  1786,  he  ran  twenty-three  miles  round  the 
flat  at  Newmarket,  in  fifty-seven  minutes  and  ten  seconds. 

Eclipse  was  got  by  Marsk,  a  grandson  of  Bartlett's  Childers. 

Of  the  beauty,  yet  peculiarity  ol'  his  form,  much  has  been  said 
The  very  grent  size,  obliquity,  and  lowness  of  his  shoulders  were 
the  objects  of  general  remark — with  the  shortness  of  his  fore- 
quarters,  his  ample  and  finely  proportioned  quarters,  and  the 
swelling  muscles  of  his  fore-arm  and  thigh.  Of  his  speed,  no 
correct  estimate  can  be  formed,  for  he  never  met  with  an  op- 
ponent sufficiently  fleet  to  put  it  to  the  test. 

He  was  bred  by  the  Duke  of  Cumberland,  and  sold  at  his 
death  to  Mr.  Wildman,  a  sheep  salesman,  for  seventy-five  guineas. 
Col.  0' Kelly  purchased  a  share  of  him  from  Wildman.  In  the 
spring  of  the  following  year,  when  the  reputation  of  this  wonder- 
ful animal  was  at  its  height,  0' Kelly  wislied  to  become  sole 
owner  of  him,  and  bought  the  remaining  share  for  one  thousand 
pounds. 

Eclipse  was  what  is  termed  a  thick-winded  horse,  and  puffed 
and  roared  so  as  to  be  heard  at  a  considerable  distance.  For 
this  or  some  other  cause,  he  was  not  brought  on  the  turf  until  he 
was  five  years  old. 

0' Kelly,  aware  of  his  horse's  powers,  had  backed  him  freely 
on  his  first  race,  in  May,  1769.  The  first  heat  was  easily  won, 
when  0' Kelly,  observing  that  the  rider  had  been  pulling  at 
Eclipse  durmg  the  whole  of  the  race,  ofTered  a  wager  that  he 


LORD    GODOLPIIIN  S    ARABIAN.  •>1 

placed  the  horses  in  the  next  heat.  This  seemed  a  thino-  sc 
highly  improbable,  that  he  immediately  had  bets  to  a  large 
amount.  Being  called  on  to  declare,  he  replied,  "  Eclipse  first, 
and  the  rest  nowhere  I"  The  event  justified  his  prediction  :  all 
the  others  were  distanced  by  Eclipse  with  the  greatest  ease  ;  or. 
In  the  language  of  the  turf,  they  had  no  place. 

In  the  spring  of  the  following  year,  he  beat  Mr.  Wentworth's 
Bucephalus,  who  had  never  before  been  conquered.  Two  days 
afterwards  he  distanced  Mr.  Strode's  Pensioner,  a  very  good 
horse  ;  and,  in  the  August  of  the  same  year,  he  won  the  great 
subscription  at  York.  No  horse  daring  to  enter  against  him,  he 
closed  his  short  career  of  seventeen  months,  by  walking  over  the 
Newmarket  course  for  the  Idng's  plate,  on  October  the  18th, 
1770.  He  was  never  beaten,  nor  ever  paid  forfeit,  and  won  for 
his  owner  more  than  twenty-five  thousand  pounds. 

Eclipse  was  afterwards  employed  as  a  stallion,  and  produced 
the  extraordinary  number  of  three  hundred  and  thirty-four  win- 
ners, and  these  netted  to  their  owners  more  than  a  hundred  and 
sixty  thousand  pounds  exclusive  of  plates  and  cups.  This  fine 
animal  died  in  1789,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years. ^ 

More  than  twenty  years  after  the  Davley  Arabian,  and  when 
the  value  of  the  Arabian  blood  was  fully  established.  Lord  Godol- 
phin  possessed  a  beautiful,  but  singularly-shaped  horse,  which  he 
called  an  Arabian,  but  which  was  really  a  Barb.  His  crest, 
lofty  and  arched  almost  to  a  fault,  will  distinguish  liim  from 
every  other  horse. 

He  had  a  sinking  behind  his  shoulders,  almost  as  peculiar,  and 
a  corresponding  elevation  of  the  spine  towards  the  loins.  His 
muzzle  was  uncommonly  fine,  his  head  beautifully  set  on,  his 
shoulders  capacious,  and  his  quarters  well  spread  out.  He  was 
picked  up  in  France,  where  he  was  actually  employed  in  draw- 
ing a  cart ;  and  when  he  was  afterwards  presented  to  Lord 
Godolphin,  he  was  in  that  nobleman's  stud  a  considerable  time 
before  his  value  was  discovered.  It  was  not  until  the  birth  of 
Lath,  one  of  the  first  horses  of  that  period,  that  his  excellence 
began  to  be  appreciated.  He  was  then  styled  an  Arabian,  and 
became,  m  even  a  greater  degree  than  the  Darley,  the  founder 
of  the  modern  thorough-bred  horses.  He  died  hi  1753,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-nine. 

An  intimate  friendship  subsisted  between  him  and  a  cat,  which 
either  sat  on  his  back  when  he  was  in  the  stable,  or  nestled  as 
closely  to  liim  as  she  could.     At  liis  death,  the  cat  refused  her 

"*■  The  produce  of  King  Herod .  a  descendant  of  Flying  Childers,  -was  even 
more  nuiaerous.  He  gMt  no  less  than  four  hundred  and  ninety-seven  win- 
ners, who  gained  for  their  proprietors  upwards  of  two  himdred  thousand 
pounds.     Highflyer  was  a  son  of  King  Herod. 


22  HORSES  BROUGHT  OCT  TOO  EARLY 

food,  and  pined  away,  and  soon  died. — Mr.  Holcroft  gives  a 
bimilar  relation  of  the  attachment  between  a  race-horse  and  a 
cat,  which  the  courser  would  take  in  liis  mouth  and  place  in  his 
manger  and  upon  his  back  without  hurting  her.  Chillaby,  called 
from  his  great  ferocity  the  Mad  Arabian,  whom  one  only  of  the 
grooms  dared  to  approach,  and  who  savagely  tore  to  pieces  the 
mage  of  a  man  that  was  purposely  placed  in  his  way,  had  his 
peculiar  attachment  to  a  lamb,  who  used  to  employ  himself  for 
many  an  hour,  in  butting  away  the  flies  from  him. 

It  has  been  imagined  that  the  breed  of  racing  horses  has  lately 
very  considerably  degenerated.  This  is  not  the  case.  Thorough- 
bred horses  were  formerly  fewer  in  number,  and  their  perform- 
ances created  greater  wonder.  The  breed  has  now  increased 
twenty-fold,  and  superiority  is  not  so  easily  obtained  among  so 
many  competitors.  If  one  circumstance  could,  more  than  any 
other,  produce  this  degeneracy,  it  would  be  our  absurd  and  cruel 
habit  of  bringing  out  horses  too  soon,  and  the  frequent  failure 
oi  tneir  legs  before  they  have  come  to  their  full  power.  Childers 
and  Eclipse  did  not  appear  until  they  were  five  years  old  ;  but 
mctny  of  our  best  horses,  and  those,  perhaps,  who  would  have 
shown  equal  excellence  with  the  most  celebrated  racers,  are 
foundered  and  destroyed  before  that  period. 

Whether  the  introduction  of  sliort  races,  and  so  young  horses,  be 
advantageous,  and  whether  stoutness  and  usefulness  may  not  thus 
be  somewhat  too  much  sacrificed  to  speed  :  whether  there  may 
be  danger  that  an  animal  designed  for  service  may,  in  process  of 
time,  be  frittered  away  almost  to  a  shadow  of  what  he  was,  in 
order  that  at  two  years  old,  over  the  one-mile-course,  he  may  as- 
tonish the  crowd  by  his  fleetness, — are  questions  that  more  con- 
cern the  sporting  man  than  the  agriculturist ;  and  yet  they  con- 
cern the  agriculturist  too,  for  racing  is  principally  valuable  as 
connected  with  breeding,  and  as  the  test  of  breeding. 

The  horse  is  as  susceptible  of  pleasure  and  pain  as  ourselves. 
He  was  committed  to  us  for  our  protection  and  our  use  ;  he  is  a 
willing,  devoted  servant.  Whence  did  we  derive  the  right  to 
abuse  him  ?  Interest  speaks  the  same  language  :  many  a  race 
has  been  lost  by  the  infliction  of  wanton  cruelty." 

Consternation,  whose  portrait  fronts  the  title-page,  is  the  prop- 
erty of  John  B.  Burnett,  Esq.,  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  He  was  bred  by 
Matthew  Hornsey,  Esq.,  Sittenham,  near  York,  Yorkshire,  England, 
in  1841.  He  was  sold  by  that  gentleman  to  C.  T.  Albot,  Esq., 
who  imported  him  into  the  United  States  in  1846,  and  introduced 
him  into  Stokes,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  is  a  brown  horse,  dap- 
pled with  bay — an  unusual,  but  a  rich  and  pleasing  color.  He 
is  fiilly  fifteen  hands  and  three  inches  high,  without  his  shoes, 
and  weighs  between  eleven  and  twelve  hundred  pounds      He  is 


i'EUlGREE    OF    CONSTERNATION 


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24  CONSTERNATION. 

a  compact,  and,  for  a  thorough-bred,  very  bony  horse,  like  his 
immediate  ancestors,  Confederate,  Curiosity,  Figaro,  &c.  In- 
deed, his  sire,  Confederate,  after  being  withdrawn  from  the  turf, 
was  kept  by  his  breeder.  Earl  Fitzwilliam,  to  breed  hunters  and 
carriage-horses  from,  owing  to  Lis  size,  bone,  and  symmetry, — • 
properties  which  eminently  marked  his  progeny.  His  dam.  Cu- 
riosity, was  a  large,  strong  mare  ;  and  her  sire,  Figaro,  possessed 
the  same  characteristics.  The  size  and  bone  of  Consternation 
are  not,  therefore,  accidental,  or  merely  individual  traits  ;  they 
belong  to  his  family,  and  are,  consequently,  far  more  likely  to 
be  transmitted  to  his  descendants  ;  and  experience  has  shown, 
that  he  almost  invariably  transmits  these  properties  to  his  de- 
scendants. =^ 

Consternation  is  beautifully  symmetrical  in  all  his  proportions, 
with  a  plumpness  and  roundness  of  outline  unusual  in  the 
thorough-bred  ;  more  like  a  perfect  hunter,  or  exceedingly  stylish 
carriage-horse,  but  without  a  particle  of  coarseness,  cloddiness,  or 
deviation  from  a  true  blood-like  look. 

.  He  is  a  horse  of  extri  ordinary  mettle  and  activity,  rapid  in  all 
his  paces,  singularly  elastic  and  graceful  in  his  movements.  He 
walks  nearly  five  miles  an  hour,  and  is  a  beautiful  and  rapid 
trotter.  We  believe  he  might  be  made  a  fleet,  if  not  a  "  crack" 
trotter,  under  the  training  of  Woodruff  or  Wheelan.  He  ran 
but  one  race  in  England,  beating  Phoenician,  at  York.  (See 
Johnson's  Racing  Calendar,  1845.)  •  He  was  entered  for  the  St. 
Leger,  but,  owing  to  an  accident,  which  injured  his  off  fore-leg, 
he  was  disqualified  temporarily,  and  perhaps  permanently,  from 
running.  Before  this  point  was  decided,  Mr.  Albot  purchased 
and  imported  him  to  America  for  a  breeding  stallion.  He  was 
selected  with  more  especial  reference  to  the  improvement  of  our 
common  stock  of  horses. 

Consternation  arrived  in  the  United  States  in  the  latter  part 
of  June,  1345,  and  was  shown  in  the  September  following,  while 
still  suffering  from  the  effects  of  his  voyage,  at  the  N.  Y.  State 
Fair  at  Utica.  He  received  the  first  premium  in  the  class  of 
blood  horses,  beating  Mr.  Hungerford's  Sir  Henry,  Mr.  Crosby's 
Florizelle,  Mr.  Thompson's  Sir  Charles — the  viewing  committee 
consisting  of  Col.  J.  M.  Sherwood,  Hon.  John  A.  King,  and  Col. 
Edward  Long.  He  was  not  again  shown  at  a  State  Fair  until 
1849,  at  Syracuse.     He  here  received  the  certificate  of  superior- 

*  Tlie  writer  of  this  has  seen  perhaps  fifty  colts,  from  one  to  three  years 
old,  the  get  of  Consternation,  from  common  dams,  and  those  possessing  dif- 
ferent proportions  of  blood.  Every  one  of  these  has  Bhown  good  size,  and 
quite  as  much  bone  as  it  is  common  to  see  in  the  get  of  the  common  coarse 
■»talhons  of  the  country. 


THE    ARABIAN    HORSE. 


25 


ity,*  beating  Lance,  Waxy  Pope  (imported),  Young  Alexander 
Sir  Hemy  (by  the  horse  of  the  same  name,  exiiibited  at  'Jtica) 
Waxy  (by  Waxy  Pope),  and  several  others. 

We  have  been  thus  full  in  speaking  of  Consternation,  be- 
cause we  believe  that  it  is  by  a  judicious  cross  ^dth  the  tlior- 
ougli-hred  horse,  that  the  greatest  improvement  is  to  be  made 
with  a  class  of  our  common  mares,  in  breeding  animals  with 
style,  speed,  and,  above  all,  bottom,  for  the  carriage,  the  buggy, 
and  the  saddle  ;  and  because  we  believe  on  the  principle  that 
like  lyroduces  like,  Oonsternation  j)roinises  better  for  such  a 
cross  than  any  other  blood  stallion  of  which  we  have  any 
knowledge. 

His  pedigree  includes  a  host  of  winners,  and  the  most  cele- 
brated horses  of  England.     It  is  given  on  the  preceding  page. 

It  may  interest  some  who  wish  to  breed  common  mares  to 
Consternation,  and  w^ho,  very  properly,  consider  color  an  im- 
portant consideration  in  carriage  and  saddle  horses,  to  know  that 
of  his  ancestors  above  given  thirty-five  were  bay — tiuelve,  brown 
— ten,  chestnut — and  tiuo,  black. 


THE   ARABIAN-  HORSE. 

Mr.  Youatt  says : — "  Although  in  the  seventh  century  the 
Arabs  had  no  horses  of  value,  yet  the  Cappadocian  and  other 
horses  which  they  had  derived  from  their  neighbors,  were  pre- 
served with  so  much  care,  and  propagated  so  uniformly  and 
strictly  from  the  finest  of  the  breed,  that  in  the  13th  century 
the  Arabian  horse  began  to  assume  a  just  and  unrivalled 
celebrity. 

There  are  said  to  be  three  breeds  or  varieties  of  Arabian 
horses  :  the  Attechi,  or  inferior  breed,  on  which  they  set  little 
value,  and  which  are  found  wild  on  some  parts  of  the  deserts  ; 
the  Kadischi,  literally  horses  of  an  unknown  race,  answering  to 
our  half-bred  horses — a  mixed  breed  ;  and  the  Kochlani,  b  )rses 
whose  genealogy,  according  to  the  Arab  account,  is  known  for 
two  thousand  years.  Many  of  them  have  written  and  attested 
pedigrees  extending  more  than  four  hundred  years,  and,  with 
true  Eastern  exaggeration,  traced  by  oral  tradition  from  the 
stud  of  Solomon.  A  more  careful  account  is  kept  of  these 
genealogies  than  belongs  to  the  most  ancient  family  of  the 
proudest  Arab  chief,  and  very  singular  precautions  are  taken  to 

*  His  having  once  drawn  the  first  premium  in  the  same  class,  by  the 
regulations  of  the  Society,  disqualified  him  from  again  receiving  it.  But 
In  such  cases,  the  former  winner,  if  adjudged  best,  receives  a  certificate  to 
that  effect. 

B 


26  PECULIARITIES    OF    THE    ARABIAN    HORSE. 

prevent  the  possibility  of  fraud,  so  far  as  the  written  pedigree 
extends. 

The  Kochlani  are  principally  reared  by  the  Bedouin  Arabs, 
m  the  remoter  deserts.  A  stallion  may  be  procured  without 
much  difficulty,  although  at  a  great  price.  A  m^are  is  rarely  to; 
be  obtained,  except  by  fraud  and  excessive  bribery.  The  Arabs 
have  found  out  that  which  the  English  breeder  should  never 
forget,  that  the  female  is  more  concerned  than  the  male  in  the 
excellence  and  value  of  the  produce  ;  and  the  genealogies  of 
their  horses  are  always  reckoned  from  the  mothers. 

The  Arabian  horse  would  not  be  acknow^ledged  by  every 
judge  to  possess  a  perfect  form  :  his  head,  however,  is  inimitable. 
The  broadness  and  squareness  of  the  forehead,  the  shortness  and 
fineness  of  the  muzzle,  the  prominence  and  brilliancy  of  the  eye, 
the  smallness  of  the  ears,  and  the  beautiful  course  of  the  veins, 
will  always  characterize  the  head  of  the  Arabia,n  horse. 

His  body  may  be  considered  as  too  light,  and  his  chest  as  too 
narrow ;  but  behind  the  arms  the  barrel  generally  swells  out, 
and  leaves  sufficient  room  for  the  play  of  the  lungs. 

In  the  formation  of  the  shoulder,  next  to  that  of  the  head,  the 
Arab  is  superior  to  any  other  breed.  The  withers  are  high,  and 
the  shoulder-blade  inclined  backward,  and  so  nicely  adjusted, 
that  in  descending  a  hill  the  point  or  edge  of  the  ham  never 
ruffles  the  skin.  He  may  not  be  thought  sufficiently  high  ;  he 
seldom  stands  more  than  fourteen  hands  two  inches. 

The  fineness  of  his  legs,  and  the  oblique  position  of  his 
pasterns,  may  be  supposed  to  lessen  his  apparent  strength  ;  but 
the  leg,  altliough  small,  is  flat  and  wiry  ;  anatomists  know  that 
the  bone  has  no  common  density,  and  the  startling  muscles  of 
the  fore-arm  and  the  thigh  indicate  that  he  is  fully  capable  of 
accomplishing  many  of  the  feats  which  are  recorded  of  him. 

The  Barb  alone  excels  him  in  noble  and  spirited  action  ;  and 
if  there  be  defects  about  him,  he  is  perfect  for  that  for  which  he 
was  designed.  He  presents  the  true  combination  of  speed  and 
bottom — strength  enough  to  carry  more  than  a  light  weight,  and 
courage  that  would  cause  him  to  die  rather  than  to  give  up. 

We  may  not,  perhaps,  believe  all  that  is  told  us  of  the 
Arabian.  It  has  been  remarked,  that  there  are  en  the  deserts 
which  this  horse  traverses  no  mile-stones  to  mark  the  distance, 
or  watches  to  calculate  the  time  ;  and  the  Bedouin  is  naturally 
given  to  exaggeration,  and,  most  of  all,  when  relating  the 
prowess  of  the  animal,  which  he  loves  as  dearly  a^  his  children  : 
yet  it  cannot  be  denied  that,  at  the  introduction  of  the  Arabian 
into  the  European  stables,  there  was  no  other  horse  comparable 
to  him. 

The   Ar*»b  hr'r«»*>  ig  as  celebrated  for  his  docility   and   good 


KIND    TREATMENT     OF    HIS    HORSE    BY    THE    ARAB.  27 

temper  as  for  his  speed  and  coura^^'e.  In  that  deUghtful  bookj 
'  Bishop  Heber's  Narrative  of  a  Jonrne)  through  the  Upper 
Provinces  of  India,'  the  Ibilowing  interest" ng  character  is  given 
of  him.  "  My  morning  rides  are  very  pleasant.  My  horse  is  a 
nice,  quiet,  good-tempered  httle  Arab,  who  is  so  fearless,  that 
he  goes  without  starting  close  to  an  elephant,  and  so  gentle  and 
docile  that  he  eats  bread  out  of"  my  hand,  and  has  almost  as 
much  attachment  and  coaxing  ways  as  a  dog.  Tiiis  seems  the 
general  character  of  the  Arab  horses,  to  judge  from  what  I  have 
seen  in  this  country.  It  is  not  the  (iery  dashing  animal  I  had 
supposed,  but  with  more  rationality  about  him,  and  more  ap- 
parent confidence  in  his  rider,  than  the  majority  of  English 
horses." 

The  kiudness  with  which  he  is  treated  from  a  foal,  gives  him 
an  affection  for  his  master,  a  wish  to  please,  a  pride  in  exerting 
every  energy  in  obedience  to  his  commands,  and,  consequently, 
an  apparent  sagacity  which  is  seldom  seen  in  other  breeds. 
The  mare  and  her  foal  inhabit  the  same  tent  with  the  Bedouin 
and  his  children.  The  neck  of  the  mare  is  often  the  pillow 
of  the  rider,  and,  more  frequently,  of  the  children,  who  are 
rolling  about  upon  her  and  the  foal :  yet  no  accident  ever  occurs, 
and  the  animal  acquires  that  friendship  and  love  for  man  which 
occasional  ill-treatment  will  not  cause  him  for  a  moment  to 
forget. 

When  the  Arab  falls  from  his  mare,  and  is  unable  to  rise,  she 
will  immediately  stand  still,  and  neigh  until  assistance  arrives. 
If  he  lies  down  to  sleep,  as  fatigue  sometimes  compels  him,  in 
the  midst  of  the  desert,  she  stands  watchful  over  him,  and  neighs 
and  rouses  him  if  either  man  or  beast  approaches.  An  old  Arab 
had  a  valuable  mare  that  had  carried  him.  for  fifteen  years  in 
many  a  hard-fouglit  battle,  and  many  a  rapid  weary  march  ;  at 
length,  eighty  years  old,  and  unable  longer  to  ride  her,  he  gave 
her,  and  a  scimiter  that  had  been  his  father's,  to  his  eldest  son 
and  told  him  to  appreciate  their  value,  and  never  lie  down  to 
rest  until  he  had  rubbed  them  both  as  bright  as  a  looking-glass. 
In  the  first  sldrmish  in  which  the  young  man  was  engaged  he 
was  killed,  and  the  mare  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
AVhen  the  news  reached  the  old  man,  he  exclaimed  that  "  life 
was  no  longer  worth  preserving,  for  he  had  lost  both  his  son  and 
his  mare  and  he  grieved  for  one  as  much  as  the  other  ;"  and  he 
immediately  sickened  and  died. 

Man,  however,  is  an  inconsistent  being.  The  Arab  who  thus 
lives  with  and  loves  his  horses,  regarding  them  as  his  most 
valuable  treasure,  sometimes  treats  them  with  a  cruelty  scarcely 
to  be  believed,  and  not  at  all  to  be  justified.  The  severest  treat- 
ment which  the  English  race-horse  endures  is  gentleness  compared 


28  ANECDOTE. 

with  the  trial  of  the  young  Arabian.  Probably  the  filly  has 
never  before  been  mounted  ;  she  is  led  out ;  her  owner  springs 
on  her  back,  and  goads  her  over  the  sand  and  rocks  of  the  desert 
at  full  speed  for  fifty  or  sixty  miles  without  one  moment's  respite. 
She  is  then  forced,  steaming  and  panting,  into  water  deep  enough 
for  her  to  swim.  If,  immediately  after  this,  she  will  eat  as  if 
nothing  had  occurred,  her  character  is  established,  and  she  is 
acknowledged  to  be  a  genuine  descendant  of  the  KocJilani 
breed.  The  Arab  is  not  conscious  of  the  cruelty  which  he  thus 
inflicts.  It  is  an  invariable  custom,  and  custom  will  induce  us 
to  inflict  many  a  pang  on  those  whom,  after  all,  we  love. 

The  following  anecdote  of  the  attachment  of  an  Arab  to  his 
mare  has  often  been  told,  but  it  comes  home  to  the  bosom 
of  every  one  possessed  of  common  feeling.  "  The  whole  stock 
of  an  Arab  of  the  desert  consisted  of  a  mare.  The  French  consul 
offered  to  purchase  her  in  order  to  send  her  to  his  sovereign, 
Louis  XIV.  The  Arab  would  have  rejected  the  proposal  at  once 
with  indignation  and  scorn  ;  but  he  was  miserably  poor.  He 
had  no  means  of  supplying  his  most  urgent  wants,  or  procuring 
the  barest  necessaries  of  life.  Still  he  hesitated  ; — he  had 
scarcely  a  rag  to  cover  him — and  his  wife  and  children  were 
starving.  The  sum  ofiered  was  great, — it  would  provide  him 
and  his  family  with  food  for  life.  At  length,  and  reluctantly,  he 
consented.  He  brought  the  mare  to  the  dwelling  of  the  consul, — 
he  dismounted, — he  stood  leaning  upon  her  ; — he  looked  now  at 
the  gold,  and  then  at  his  favorite  ;  he  sighed — he  wept.  '  To 
whom  is  it,'  said  he,  '  I  am  going  to  yield  thee  up  ?  To  Europeans, 
who  will  tie  thee  close, — who  will  beat  thee, — who  will  render 
thee  miserable.  Return  with  me,  my  beauty,  my  jewel,  and 
rejoice  the  hearts  of  my  children.'  As  he  pronounced  the  last 
words,  he  sprung  upon  her  back,  and  was  out  of  sight  in  a  mo- 
ment." 

Our  horses  would  fare  badly  on  the  scanty  nourishment  aflbrded 
the  Arabian.  The  mare  usually  has  but  one  or  two  meals  in 
twenty-four  hours.  During  the  day  she  is  tied  to  the  door  of  the 
tent,  ready  for  the  Bedouin  to  spring,  at  a  moment's  warning, 
into  the  saddle  ;  or  she  is  turned  out  before  the  tent  ready  sad- 
dled, the  bridle  merely  taken  olT,  and  so  trained  that  she  gallops 
up  immediately  at  her  master's  call.  At  night  she  receives  a' 
little  water  ;  and  with  her  scanty  provender  of  five  or  six  pounds 
of  barley  or  beans,  and  sometimes  a  little  straw,  she  lies  down 
content,  in  the  midst  of  her  master's  family.  She  can,  however, 
endure  great  fatigue  ;  she  will  travel  fifty  miles  without  stopping ; 
she  has  been  pushed,  on  emergency,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles,  and  occasionally,  neither  she  nor  her  rider  has  tasted  food 
for  three  whole  days. 


THIL    CANADIAN    AND    THE    NORMAN    HORSE.  29 

To  the  Arabian,  principally,  England  is  indebted  for  her  im- 
proved and  now  unrivalled  breed  of  horses  for  the  turf,  the  field, 
and  the  road." 

As  already  said,  when  speaking  of  the  English  race-horse,  the 
Arabian  is  not  equal  to  his  English  descendant.  This  has  also 
been  incontestably  proved  in  the  United  States.  Pure  blood 
Arabians  of  the  highest  pretensions  have  at  various  times  been 
mported  into  our  country  ;  but  they  have  never  compared  in 
either  speed  or  bottom,  with  the  English  race-horse  and  his 
descendants. 


THE   CANADIAN  HORSE, 

Found  in  the  Canadian  Provinces,  and  somewhat  in  the 
Northern  United  States,  is  too  well  known  to  require  any  partic- 
ular description.  He  is  mainly  of  French  descent — though  many 
so  called,  and  doubtless  some  of  the  fleetest  ones,  are  the  produce  of  a 
cross  between  the  Canadian  and  the  English  thorough-bred  stal- 
lion. They  are  a  long-lived,  easily  kept,  and  exceedingly  hardy 
race,  making  good  farm  and  draft  horses,  when  sufficiently  large. 
In  form,  many  of  them  display  in  a  marked  manner  the  charac- 
teristics of  the  Norman — so  too  in  their  general  qualities — but 
they  are  usually  considerably  smaller.  Stallions  of  this  breed 
have  in  various  instances,  of  late,  been  introduced  into  New  York 
and  other  northern  States,  to  cross  with  our  common  mares. 
The  result  has  been  decidedly  satisfactory,  particularly  in  giving 
compactness  and  vigor  of  constitution,  where  the  dam  does  not 
excel  in  those  particulars. 

A  black  stallion  imported  from  Canada,  a  few  years  since,  by 
Mr.  John  Legg,  of  Skaneateles,  N.  Y.,  has  got  several  hundred 
colts,  which,  when  broken,  have  averaged  about  one  hundred 
dollars  a  piece  in  value  ;  a  sum  considerably  above  the  average 
prices  of  horses  in  the  country.  They  are  almost  invariably  fair 
roadsters,  and  excellent  farm-horses.  This  cross  is  more  and 
more  findinjr  favor  amonir  our  farmers. 


THE  NORMAN   HORSE. 

In  connection  with  the  Canadian — though  not  so  old  a  variety 
in  the  United  States,  as  snmi^  of  which  we  have  presently  to 
.speak — we  will  advert  to  the  French  or  Norman  horse,  from 
which  the  Canadian  is  descended.  We  cannot  do  this  more 
satisfactorily  to  ourselves,  or  more  usefully  to  the  reader,  than  to 
publish   entire   the   following   mterfistuig  and   admirably  candid 


30 


LETTER    FP.OM    MR.    HARRIS. 


'etter  from  Edward  Harris,  Esq.,  of  Moorestowii,  Burlington  Co., 
"STew  Jersey,  who  introduced  this  breed  into  the  United  States. 


LOUIS      PHILLIPB.* 

Moorestown,  April  6, 1850. 

My  dear  Sir: — Tour  kind  favor  of  the  last  of  March  has  been  duly 
received.  I  regret  that,  in  consequence  of  the  decease  of  a  near  relative, 
it  has  been  out  of  my  power  to  prepare  my  answer  as  soon  as  you  desired. 

I  thank  you,  my  dear  sir,  for  the  order  you  have  suggested  to  be  observed 
in  my  communication.  You  will  soon  perceive  that  I  am  by  no  means  a 
practised  writer,  therefore  your  suggestions  are  the  more  acceptable  in 
aiding  me  to  draw  up  my  "  plain,  unvarnished  tale." 

These  horses  first  came  under  my  observation  on  a  journey  through 
France  ii\  the  year  1831.  I  was  struck  with  the  immense  power  displayed 
by  th-^m  in  drawing  the  heavy  diligences  of  that  country,  at  a  pace  which, 
although  not  as  rapid  a=!  the  stage-coach  travelling  of  England,  yet  such  a 
pace,  say  from  five  to  nine  miles  per  hour,  the  lowest  rate  of  which  I  do 
not  hesitate  to  say,  would,  in  a  short  time,  kill  the  English  horse  if  placed 
before  the  same  load.  \x\  confirmation  of  this  opinion  I  will  give  you  an 
extract  ^roai  an  article  on  the  Norman  horse  in  the  British  Quarterly  Jour- 
nal of  Agriculture,  which  I  quoted  in  my  communication  to  the  Farmer's 
Cabinet  of  Philadelpliia,  in  1842,  as  follows: — 


*  Bred  by  Edward  Harris,  Esq.,  of  Moorestown,  New  Jersey  (in  1843), 
from  liis  pure  imported  Norman  stock.  (See  Mr.  Harris's  letter  which 
follows.)  Loui.s  Phillipe  is  an  excellent  characteristic  specimen  of  the 
Norman  horse,  is  a  dapple  gray,  fifteen  hands  one  and  one  half  inches  high 
and  weighs  twelve  huuihed  pounds,  in  good  condition.  He  is  owned  by  R 
B.  Howland,  E.-q.,  of  Union  Springs,  Cayuga  Couniy,  N.  Y. 


QUALITIEa    OF    THE    NORMAN.  3 J 

"  Tlie  writei ,  in  giving  an  account  of  the  origin  of  the  liorse,  which 
agi^^es  in  tracing  it  to  the  Spanisli  horse  (of  Arabian  ancestry),  wirh  the 
account  which  I  have  given  above,  wliich  I  procured  from  French  sources, 
says,  'The  horses  of  Normandy  are  a  capital  race  for  Iiard  work  and  scaut\j 
fare.  I  have  never  seen  such  horses  at  the  collar,  under  tjie  tliligence,  the 
post-carriage,  the  cumbrous  and  heavy  voiture  or  cabriolet  for  one  or  two 
horses,  or  the  farm-cart.  They  are  enduring  and  enerc/etic  hei/ond  descrip- 
tion;  with  their  necks  cut  to  the  bone,  they  flincli  not;  they  put  forth  all 
their  etTi)rts  at  the  voice  of  the  brutal  driver,  or  at  the  dreatied  sound  of  his 
never-ceasing  whip;  theij  keep  their  condition  wlien  other  horses  would  die 
of  neglect  and  hard  treatment.  A  better  cross  for  some  of  our  horses  can 
not  be  imagined  than  those  of  Normandy,  provided  they  have  not  the  ordi 
nary  failing,  of  too  much  length  from  the  hock  downwards,  and  a  heavy 
head.'  I  think  that  all  who  have  paid  attention  to  this  particular  breed  of 
Norman  horses  (the  Percheron,  which  stands  A  No.  1),  will  bear  me  out  in 
the  assertion  that  the  latter  part  of  this  quotation  will  not  apply  to  them, 
and  that,  on  the  contrary,  they  are  short  from  the  hock  downwards ;  that 
their  heads  are  short,  with  the  true  Arabian  face,  and  not  thicker  than 
they  should  be  to  correspond  with  the  stoutness  of  their  bodies.  At  all 
events  you  can  witness  that  Diligence  has  not  these  failings,  which,  when 
absent,  an  Englishman  (evidently,  from  hi-;  article  a  good  horseman)  thinks, 
constitutes  the  Norman  horse  the  best  imaginable  horse  for  a  cross  upon 
the  English  horse  of  a  certain  description.  Again  he  says,  '  They  are  very 
gentle  and  docile ;  a  kicking  or  vicious  horse  is  almost  unknown  there ;  any 
person  may  pass  in  security  at  a  faii-  at  the  heels  of  hundreds.' " 

My  own  impressions  being  fortified  by  such  authority  from  such  a  source 
(where  we  look  for  little  praise  of  anything  French),  and  numerous  others, 
verbal  and  written,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  feturn  to  France  at  an  early 
day  and  select  a  stallion  at  least,  as  an  ex-.eriment  in  crossing  upon  the 
hght  mares  of  New  Jersey.  My  intention  was  unavoidably  dela^'ed  until 
the  year  1839,  when  I  went  seriously  to  work  to  p\u-chase  two  stallions  and 
two  mares  with  the  aid  of  a  veterinary  surgeon  of  Havre,  Monsieur  St.  Marc, 
to  whose  knowledge  of  the  various  distinct  breeds  which  exist  in  France, 
and  his  untiring  zeal  in  aiding  my  enterprise,  I  take  great  pleasure  in 
making  acknowledgments.  The  animals  in  due  time  were  procured,  but 
the  last  which  was  brought  for  my  decision,  although  a  fine  stallion,  showed 
such  evident  signs  of  a  cross  of  the  English  blood  (afterwards  acknowledged 
oy  the  owner),  that  I  rejected  him,  and  the  packet  being  about  to  sail,  and 

f)reparations  being  made  for  the  shipment,  I  was  obliged  to  put  the  stal- 
ion  and  two  mares  on  board,  no  time  beings  left  to  look  up  another  stal 
lion.  Here  another  difficulty  arose — I  could  find  no  competent  groom  in 
Havre  to  take  charge  of  them  on  the  voyage,. and  deliver  them  in  New 
York.  I  was  obliged  to  make  an  ari-angement  with  one  of  the  steerage 
passengers,  a  German,  who  had  never  been  to  sea  before,  to  attend  to  them 
to  the  best  of  his  ability.  As  you  may  suppose,  I  did  not  feel  very  well 
satisfied  with  this  arrangement.  I  therefore  wrote  to  M.  Meuricc  of  Paris, 
to  take  charge  of  my  baggage  which  I  had  left  at  his  hotel,  and  the  next 
morning  I  was  on  my  way  to  New  York  on  the  packet  ship  Iowa,  Captain 
Peck,  where  I  lived  in  the  round-hf>use  on  deck,  with  himself  and  officeru 
It  was  the  Iowa's  first  voyage,  and  her  cabin  had  not  been  finished,  so  great 
was  the  fear  of  the  owners,  at  that  time,  that  their  "  occupation  was  gone" 
of  carrying  cabin  passengers,  in  consequence  of  the  recent  success  of  the 
English  sea-steamers.  We  had  three  hundred  steerage,  and  I  was  the  only 
cabin  passenger.  The  horses  were  also  on  deck.  The  first  night,  so  great 
was  the  change  in  the  temperature,  on  the  occurrence  of  a  slight  storm, 
that  aU  the  horses  took  violent  colds,  and.  unfortunately,  with  the  best  U3<^ 


32  THE    PERCHERON. 

I  could  make  of  M.  St.  Marc's  medicine-chest,  and  his  very  judicious  direc- 
tions for  the  treatment  of  the  horses  under  tliis  anticipated  state  of  affaira, 
I  could  not  prevent  the  death  of  the  stallion  from  inflammation  of  the  lungs, 
before  reaching  New  York.  The  mares  were  landed  safely,  but  too  much 
stiffened  by  the  voyage  and  their  sickness,  to  make  the  journey  at  once  across 
the  Jerseys  on  foot.  I  procured  a  trusty  man  to  accompany  them,  and  sent 
them  by  railroad  for  Burlington.  The  next  morning  I  had  the  mortifica- 
tion to  see  my  man  returned  with  the  sad  news  that  the  finest  mai-e  had 
I-»r()k(;n  through  the  bottom  of  the  car,  and  fractured  one  of  her  hind  legs 
Tlnu  left  with  one  horse  out  of  four  selected,  the  only  alternative  was  to 
giv(?  up,  or  go  back  for  more.  I  did  not  hesitate  about  the  latter,  and  m 
three  weeks  I  was  steaming  it  on  board  the  Great  Western.  My  next  pur- 
chase was  "  Diligence,"  another  stallion,  and  two  mares.  This  time  I  was 
move  fortunate,  and  procured  an  excellent  groom  to  accompany  them,  who 
succeeded  in  getting  them  safely  to  New  York  and  to  Moorestown,  carefully 
cJmmdng  the  railroad.  I  have,  since  that  time,  lost  one  of  the  mares,  and 
the  other  stallion  went  blind  after  making  one  season.  Not  wishing  to  run 
the  risk  of  perpetuating  a  race  of  horses  with  weak  eyes,  I  have  not  since 
permitted  him  to  cover  mares ;  though  I  must  say  for  him  that  his  colts 
have  all  good  eyes,  and  stand  high  in  public  favor. 

Those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  thorougli-bred  Canadian  horse,  will 
see  in  hkn  a  perfect  model,  on  a  small  scale,  of  the  Percheron  horse.  This 
is  the  peculiar  breed  of  Normandy  which  are  used  so  extensively  through- 
out tlie  northern  half  of  France  for  diligence  and  post-horses,  and  from  the 
best  French  authorities  I  could  command  (I  cannot  now  quote  the  precise 
authorities),  I  learned  that  they  were  proiluced  by  the  cross  of  the  Andahi- 
sian  horse  upon  the  old  heavy  Norman  horse,  whose  portrait  may  still  be 
seen  as  a  war-horse  on  the  painted  windows  of  the  cathedral  of  Rouen,  sev- 
eral centuries  old.  At  the  ti.ne  of  the  occupation  of  the  Netherlands  by 
the  Spaniards,  the  Andalusian  was  the  favorite  stallion  of  the  north  of  Eu 
rope,  and  thus  a  stamp  of  the  true  Barb  was  implanted,  which  remoins  to 
the  present  day.  If  you  will  allow  me  to  digress  a  moment,  I  will  give 
you  a  short  desc!  iption  of  the  old  Norman  draught-horse  on  which  the  cross 
was  made.  They  average  full  sixteen  hands  in  height,  with  head  short, 
thick,  wide  and  hollow  between  the  eyes  ;  jaws  heavy;  ears  short  and 
pointed  well  forwards ;  neck  very  short  and  thick ;  mane  heavy ;  shoulder 
well  inclined  backwards;  back  extremely  short;  rump  steep;  quarters 
verv  broad;  chest  deep  and  wide;  tendons  large;  muscles  excessively  de- 
veloped ;  legs  very  short,  particularly  from  the  knee  and  hock  to  the  fet- 
lock, and  thence  to  the  coronet,  which  is  covered  with  long  hair,  hiding  half 
the  hoof;  much  hair  on  the  legs. 

The  bone  and  muscle,  and  much  of  the  form  of  the  Percheron  is  derived 
from  this  horse,  and  he  gets  his  spirit  and  action  from  thb  Andalusian.  Do- 
cility comes  from  both  sides.  On  the  expulsion  of  the  Spaniards  from  the 
north,  the  supply  of  Andalusian  stallions  was  cut  off,  and  since  that  time 
in  the  Perche  district  in  Normandy,  their  progeny  has  doubtless  been  bred 
in-and-in ;  hence  the  remarkable  uniformity  of  the  breed,  and  the  disposi- 
tion to  impart  their  form  to  their  progeny  beyond  any  breed  of  domestic 
animals  within  my  knowledge.  Another  circumstance  which  I  think  has 
tended  to  perpetuate  the  good  qualities  of  these  horses,  is  the  fact  of  all 
their  males  being  kept  entire  ;  a  gelding  is,  I  believe,  unknown  among  the 
rural  horses  of  France.  You  may  be  startled  at  this  notion  of  mine,  but  if 
you  reflect  a  moment,  you  must  perceive  that  in  such  a  state  of  things  (so 
contrary  to  our  practice  and  that  of  the  English)  the  farmer  will  always 
breed  from  the  best  horse,  and  he  will  have  an  opportunity  of  judging,  be- 
cause the  horse  has  been  broken  to  harness  and  his  qualities  known  before 


DILIGENCE.  33 

he  could  command  business  «s  a  stallion.  Hence,  too,  their  indifference  to 
pedigree. 

If  the  success  of  Diligence  as  a  stallion  is  any  evidence  of  the  value  of 
the  breed,  I  can  state,  that  he  has  averaged  eighty  mares  per  season  for  the 
ten  seasons  he  has  made  in  this  country,  and  a^he  is  a  very  sure  foal  getter, 
be  must  have  produced  at  least  four  hundred  colts ;  and  as  I  have  never 
vet  heard  of  a  colt  of  his  that  would  not  readily  bring  one  hundred  dollars, 
and  many  of  them  much  higher  prices,  you  can  judge  of  the  benefit  which 
Qas  accrued  from  his  services.  I  have  yet  to  learn  that  he  has  produced 
me  worthless  colt,  nor  have  I  heard  of  one  that  is  spavined,  curbed,  ring- 
boned,  or  has  any  of  those  defects  which  render  utterly  useless  so  large  a 
number  of  the  tine-bred  colts  of  the  present  day.  The  opinion  of  good 
judges  here  is,  that  we  have  never  had,  in  this  part  of  the  country  at 
least,  so  valuable  a  stock  of  horses  for  farming  purposes ;  and  further,  that 
no  horse  that  ever  stood  in  this  section  of  the  country  has  produced  the 
same  number  of  colts  whose  aggregate  value  has  been  equal  to  that  of  the 
colts  of  Diligence  ;  for  the  reason  that,  although  there  may  have  been  indi- 
viduals among  them  which  would  command  a  much  higher  price  than  any 
of  those  of  Diligence,  yet  the  number  of  blemished  and  indifferent  colts  has 
been  so  great,  as  quite  to  turn  the  scale  in  his  favor. 

In  reply  to  your  queries,  I  would  say  to  the  first,  that  Diligence  has  not 
been  crossed  at  all  with  thorough-bred  mares — such  a  thing  is  almost  un- 
known here  at  the  present  day ;  but  those  mares  the  nearest  approaching 
to  it  have  produced  the  cleanest,  neatest,  and  handsomest  colts,  though 
hardly  large  enough  to  command  the  best  prices.  Those  I  know  of  that 
cross  are  excellent  performers. 

2.  The  style  of  mares  with  which  Diligence  breed?  best,  appears  to  me  to 
be  the  mare  which  you  would  choose  to  breed  carriage-horses  from,  with 
a  good  length  of  neck,  and  tail  coming  out  on  a  line  with  the  back,  to  cor- 
rect the  two  prominent  faults  in  form  of  the  breed,  the  short  neck  and 
steep  rump. 

3.  What  is  the  result  of  the  cross  with  different  styles  (as  regards  size 
and  shape)  ?  This  may  be  answered  in  a  general  way  by  stating,  the  size 
will  depend  somewhat  upon  the  size  of  the  mare,  with  due  allowance  for 
casting  after  back  stock,  which  will  be  well  understood  by  breeders.  As 
regards  shape,  you  may  depend  upon  the  predominance  of  the  form  of  the 
horse  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  ;  indeed,  I  have  only  seen  one  of  his  colts 
that  I  could  not  instantly  recognize  from  the  form.  The  reason  will  occur 
to  you  from  what  I  have  said  of  the  extreme  purity  of  the  breed  :  such  as 
they  are  they  have  been  for  centuries  ;  and  could  you  find  another  race 
of  horses  of  entirely  different  form  in  the  same  category  as  regards  theii 
pedigree,  my  belief  is,  that  when  you  should  see  the  first  colt  from  them, 
you  would  see  the  model  of  all  that  were  to  follow. 

4.  Can  you  breed  carriage-horses  sufficiently  fashionable  for  the  city  mar- 
kets ?  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  it  cannot  be  done  with  the  first  cross. 
There  is  too  much  coarseness  about  them,  which  must  be  worn  down  by 
judicious  crossing  ;  and  I  think  a  stallion  got  by  Diligence  upon  a  large- 
sized  thorough-bred  mare,  would  go  very  far  towards  producing  the  desired 
result.  Should  this  fail,  I  feel  very  confident  that  another  cross  from  these 
colts  on  the  thorough-bred  mare,  will  give  you  the  Morgan-horxe  on  a 
larger  scale.  I  still  hold  to  the  opinion  I  expressed  to  you  years  ago,  that 
le  action  of  our  common  horses  would  be  improved  by  this  cross.  His 
•  •-  Its  have  higher  action  than  their  dams,  and  generally  keep  their  feet  bet- 
ter under  them;  in  other  words,  they  pick  them  up  quicker,  not  suffering 
tiiem  to  rest  so  long  upon  the  ground. 

3  b 


34  THE    COLTS    OF    DILIGENCE. 

Your  fifth  and  sixth  questions  will  be  answered  by  what  I  have  furtboi 
to  '»ay  in  regard  to  the  progeny  of  Diligence. 

I  may  safely  say  they  are  universally  docile  and  kind,  at  the  same  time 
spirited  and  lively.  They  break-in  without  any  difficulty.  As  regards 
their  speed,  I  do  not  know  ^f  any  that  can  be  called  fast  horses,  though 
many  smart  ones  among  ordinary  road  horses.  Diligence,  as  I  have  said 
elsewhere,  was  chosen  (for  obvious  reasons)  as  a  full-sized  specimen  of  the 
breed.  As  for  speed  in  trotting,  we  cannot  doubt  its  being  in  the  breed, 
when  we  look  at  the  instances  among  the  thorough-bred  Canadian  ponies. 
Could  I  have  made  my  selection  from  the  stallions  which  I  rode  behind  in 
the  diligences,  I  could  have  satisfied  the  most  fastidious  on  this  point,  but, 
unfortunately,  these  horses  all  belonged  to  the  government,  and  are  never 
sold  until  past  service.  My  main  object  was  to  produce  a  valuable  farm 
horse.  The  chance  of  fast  colts  is  not  very  great ;  because  those  persons 
having  fast  mares  to  breed  from,  naturally  look  for  a  fast  stallion,  and  fail- 
ing to  find  him,  take  one  of  the  best  English  blood  they  can  find ;  and 
should  they  occur,  they  will  be  mares,  or,  ten  to  one,  horses,  gelded  before 
their  good  qualities  are  discovered.  Perhaps  some  part  of  what  I  say 
above  will  be  more  clear  to  you  if  I  say,  that  I  hold  to  the  opinion  that  the 
Percheron  blood  still  exists  in  Canada  in  all  its  purity. 

You  will  think,  perhaps,  that  I  have  said  quite  enough  about  my  humble 
hobby,  and  you  will  have  found  out  too,  that  I  have  no  idea,  contrary  to 
your  good-natured  warning,  of  making  "  swans  of  my  geese."  What  I 
should  like  to  see  would  be  further  importations  of  these  horses,  thereby 
multiplying  the  chances  for  a  happy  hit  in  crossing,  and  to  draw  public  atten- 
tion to  them,  which  would  do  more  for  them  than  writing  till  doomsday. 
So  fnr  from  considering  these  horses  as  capable  by  any  crossing  of  producing 
the  very  best  of  horses  for  all  purposes,  that  is  to  say,  the  best  horse-of-all- 
work,  I  believe  that  if  I  had  my  time  to  live  over  again,  had  a  very  large 
landed  estate,  an  unlimited  supply  of  "  the  dust,'"  I  could  produce  that 
horse  by  breeding  from  the  thorough-bred  English  racer.  It  would  not 
be  difficult  now  to  select,  to  start  from,  stallions  and  mares  possessing  all 
the  requisites  of  size,  form,  temper,  (fee. ;  but  each  of  these  individuals  is 
such  a  compound  of  all  kinds  of  ancestors,  good,  bad,  and  indifferent,  that 
you  would  be  obliged  fi-om  their  progeny  to  select  and  reject  so  often,  for 
faults  of  size  and  form,  and  for  blemishes  and  vices,  that  your  allotted  days 
would  be  near  a  close  before  you  produced  anything  like  uniformity  in  the 
breed.  Still,  we  see  what  has  been  done  by  Bakewell  and  others  in  breed- 
ing stock,  therefore  I  contend,  a  la  Sam  Patch,  that  what  has  been  done 
may  be  done  again. 

I  therefore  am  decidedly  of  opinion,  that  we  cannot  do  better,  if  we  wish 
to  produce  in  any  reasonable  time  a  most  invaluable  race  of  horses  for  the 
farm  and  the  road,  than  to  breed  form  the  full-sized  Norman  or  Percheron 
horse. 

Mr.  Rowland's  horse  (the  portrait  of  which  is  given  at  the  beginning  of 
1  his  article)  is  of  r!ie  true  breed,  having  been  raised  by  me  from  one  of  my 
iHiiforted  mare.'s  put  to  Diligence,  and  I  consider  him  a  remarkably  fine 
"Specimen  of  the  breed. 

I  remain,  yours  very  sincerely, 

EDWARD  HARRIS. 

Mr  Youatt  in  speaking  of  the  French  horses,  says  :  "  The 
best  French  horses  are  bred  in  Limousin  and  Normandy.  From 
the  former  district  come  excellent  saddle-horses  and  hunters ; 
%nd  from  the  latter  a  stronger  species  for  the  road,  the  cavalry, 


THE    MORGAN. 


35 


or  the  (jarria^e.  The  Norman  horses  are  now  much  crossed  by 
our  hunters,  and  occasionally  by  the  thorough-bred  ;  and  the  Eng 
lish  roadster  and  light  drail  horse  has  not  suHered  by  a  mixture 
with  the  Norman."  In  his  remarks  on  the  Coach  Horse,  Mr. 
Y.  says  : — "  The  Normandy  carriers  travel  with  a  team  of  four 
horses,  and  from  fourteen  to  twenty-two  miles  in  a  day,  with  a 
load  of  ninety  hundred  weight." 

THE  MORGAN   HORSE. 


GENERAL      GIFFORD. 


OffH' 


Of  this  celebrated  American  variety  or  family  of  horses,  the 
writer  of  this  possesses  little  knowledge  derived  from  personal 
experience.  That  they  have  obtained  m.uch  celebrity  as  light 
buggy  and  saddle  horses, — attracted  much  notice  and  admira- 
tion at  the  New  York  State  Fairs  from  their  remarkably  spirited 
action  and  evident  docility — sold  for  high  prices  not  only  for  the 

*  "  General  GifFord"  was  got  by  Gifford  Morgan,  he  by  Burbank.  he  by 
the  original  "  Morgan  Horse."  The  dam  of  General  Gifford  was  got  by 
Sherman  Morgan.  He  is  ISi  hands  high,  of  a  dark  chestnut  color,  exceed 
ingly  compact ;  remarkable  for  his  muscular  development,  and  is  said  by  a 
correspondent  in  the  Genessee  Farmer,  in  "  only  decent  working  condition' 
to  have  weighed  10-40  pounds.  The  same  correspondent  states  on  the  au- 
thority of  Mr.  Mason  (who  has  owned  the  horse),  that  he  has  trotted  a  mile 
inside  of  three  minutes.  He  is  a  horse  of  great  action,  and  is  considered  a 
very  characteristic  and  favorable  specimen  of  the  breed  in  all  particulars 
He  is  now  owned  by  Chark^s  W  TngersoU   Esq.,  of  L^di.  Seneca  Co..  N,  Y 


0(j  ORIGIN    OF    THE    MORGAN. 

saddle  and  buggy,  but  as  stallions  to  extend  the  breed, — is  cei 
tain.     They  have  many  warm   admirers,   and  find  ready  pur- 
chasers.     Others,    on   the  contrary,    are  disposed  to  concede  to 
them  no  uncommon  value  as  a  family,  as  will  be  seen  by  some 
quotations  v/hich  we  shall  presently  make. 

The  origin  of  the  Morgans  is  thus  stated  in  a  letter  to  us  from 
a  highly  intelligent  and,  ah  we  believe,  perfectly  responsible 
source  : — 

Burlington,  March  Sth,  1850. 

My  dear  Sir, — Tlie  conflicting  reports  concerning  the  origin  of  the 
"Morgan"  horse  are  so  numerous,  and  come  in  "such questionable  shapes," 
that  no  one  can  be  satisfied  beyond  a  doubt  of  the  truth  of  any  one  story. 

The  pedigree  given  by  the  descendants  of  Mr.  Justin  Morgan,  is,  in  my 
estimation,  the  one  entitled  to  the  most  credit.  They  have  made  oath  to 
certain  statements  in  regard  to  the  pedigree  of  the  "  Morgan"  horse.  But 
these  statements,  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  depend  upon  the  reminiscences  of 
early  childhood,  anil  consequently  are  not  entitled  to  implicit  confidence. 
Adopting  the  pedigree,  as  given  by  a  son  of  Mr.  Justin  Morgan,  as  the 
most  reliable  pedigree,  I  will  proceed.  The  original  "  Morgan  "  horse,  the 
founder  of  the  family  of  horses  known  by  that  name,  was  brought,  at  two 
years  old.  in  1795,  from  Springfield,  Rlass.,  to  Randolph,  Vt.,  by  Justin 
Morgan,  of  the  latter  place.  He  was  got  by  "  True  Britton,"  he  by  More- 
ton's  "Traveller"  (imported),  among  whose  ancestors  are  found  "English 
Eclipse,"  "  Childers,"  and  the  "  Godolphin  Arabian."  "True  Britton"  (not 
the  hoi-se  of  same  name  mentioned  in  the  Stud  Book,  and  got  by  imported 
"  Othello"),  was  stolen  from  Gen.  Delancey,  of  New  York,  while  with  a 
band  of  refugee  troops  on  Long  Island.  Gen.  Delancey  was  the  importer 
of  the  horses  "  Wild-air"  and  "  Lath,"  both  thorough-bred  horses — the  for- 
mer of  such  superiority  that  he  was  sent  back  to  England,  in  1772. 
Judging  from  Gen.  Delancey's  taste  in  horses,  it  is  but  right  to  infer 
that  "True  Britton"  was  thorough-bred.  Thus  much  for  the  sire  of  the 
"Morgan"  horse.  Concerning  his  dam,  Mr.  F.  A.  Weir,  of  Walpole,  N. 
H.,  writes  as  follows  (Cultivator,  January,  1840,  p.  19.):  "The  dam  is 
described  by  Mr.  John  Morgan,  who  knew  her,  as  of  the  'Wild-air'  breed, 
of  middling  size,  with  a  heavy  chest,  of  a  very  light  bay  color,  with  a 
bushy  mane  and  tail,  the  hair  on  the  legs  rather  long,  and  a  smooth,  hand- 
some traveller.  She  was  got  by  '  Diamond,'  a  thick  heavy  horse,  of  about 
the  middling  size,  with  a  thick  heavy  mane  and  tail,  hairy  legs,  and  a  smooth 
traveller,"  "  Diamond,"  Mr.  Weir  further  says,  was  got  by  "  Wild-air,"  out 
of  the  "  noted  imported  ?^ar(?  '  Wild-air.' "  I  can  find  no  account  of  any 
such  importation,  and  deem  it  improbable  that  a  mare  and  horse  should 
have  been  imported  about  the  same  time,  and  allowed  to  retain  one  and 
the  same  name.  However,  I  may  be  wrong,  and  Mr.  Weir  right.  "  Wild- 
air,"  sire  of  "  Diamond,"  was  got  by  imported  "  Wild-air." 

The  reasonable  conclusion  from  this  statement  is,  that  the  dam  of  the 
old  "  Morgan"  had  some  good  blood  in  her  veins,  but  was  ,iot  thorough- 
bred. This,  it  is  believed,  is  as  correct  and  reliable  an  account  of  the  pedi- 
gree of  the  "  Morgan"  horse  as  caji  be  obtained.  From  the  appearance  of 
chose  horses  now  living,  nearest  related  to  the  original  "  Morgan,"  it  is  evident 
that  the  old  horse  was  possessed  of  no  small  share  of  pure  blood.  There 
can  be  no  good  reason  to  doubt  the  above  pedigree,  if  we  judge  from  the 
character  of  the  immediate  descendants  of  the  old  horse. 

There  were  but  four  colts  of  the  original  "  Morgan"  kept  as  stallions. 
and  concerning;  the  blood  of  theu'  dams  nothing  is  known. 


DESCRIPTIONS    OF    THE    MORGAN.  37 

I.  "  Rpvenge '  was  foaled  in  Claremont,  N.  H.,  out  of  a  "  middle-sized 
white  mare,  of  no  particular  blood." 

II.  "  Shermau  Morgan,"  raised  in  Lyndon,  Vt.,  was  from  a  "  chestnut 
colored  mare,  of  rather  light  bone,  and  said  to  be  of  English  blood." 

III.  "  Bulrush,"  bred  by  Mr.  Gifford,  of  Tunbridge,  Vt.,  was  out  of  . 
"thick,  heavy,  dark  bay  and  rather  lazy  mare." 

IV.  "  Woodbury,"  or  "Burbank,"  was  also  foaled  in  Tunbridge,  Vt.,  and 
was  out  of  a  "  bay  marc,  said  to  weigh  about  1000  pounds,  a  smart,  good 

Iriver." 

"  Burbank"  was  doubtless  the  best  colt  from  the  loins  of  the  old  horse, 
kept  as  a  stallion.  He  was  the  sire  of  the  "  GitTord  Morgan,  now  owned 
by  F.  A.  Weir,  of  Walpole,  N.  H.,"  [and  grandsire  of  "  General  Gifford," 
given  in  our  cut. — £d.] 

The  Committee  of  the  N.  Y.  State  Agricultural  Society,  "  on 
stock  owned  out  ol'  the  State,"  at  the  State  Fair  at  Auburn,  in 
184G,  thus  spoke  of  the  Morgans,  and  of  the  horse  (General 
Gifford)  represented  in  the  cut,  and  of  his  sire  GijETord  Morgan  : — 

"  Gififord  Morgan,  a  dark  chestnut  stallion,  fourteen  hands  and  three 
inches  high,  aged  twenty  years,  was  exhibited  by  F.  A.  Weir,  of  Walpole, 
N.  H.  It  is  claimed  on  the  part  of  his  owner,  that  this  horse  possesses  the 
celebrated  "  Morgan"  blood  in  greater  purity  than  any  other  now  living. 
"General  Gifford,"  got  by  the  above-named  horse,  was  exhibited  by  Mr.  0. 
Blodget,  of  Chelsea,  Vt.  In  his  size,  figure,  action,  and  color,  he  closely 
resembles  his  sire.  Both  are  exceedingly  compact  horses,  deep  chested, 
strong-backed,  with  fore-legs  set  wide  apart,  and  carrying  their  heads 
(which  are  small,  with  fine,  well  set  eyes)  high  and  gracefully,  without  a 
bearing-rein.  Their  action  attracted  the  marked  admiration  of  all.  This 
breed  are  reputed  to  possess  great  bottom  and  hardiness,  and  everything 
about  the  two  presented,  goes  to  prove  that  their  reputation,  in  this  par- 
ticular, is  well  founded.  For  light  carriage  or  buggy  horses,  it  would  l)e 
difficult  to  equal  them,  and  if  by  crossing  with  prime  large  mares,  of  any 
breed,  size  could  be  obtained  in  the  progeny,  without  losing  the  tjre  ajid 
action  of  the  Morgan,  the  result  of  the  cross  would  be  a  carriage  of  very 
superior  quality.  Your  committee  are  not  aware  of  the  extent  or  result 
of  sucli  crosses,  in  the  region  where  the  Morgans  originated.  Unless  expe- 
rience has  already  demonstrated  their  inutility,  we  could  recommend  to  our 
horse-breeders,  some  well-considered  experiments,  limited  at  first,  to  test 
the  feasibility  of  engrafting  the  Morgan  characteristics  on  a  larger  horse." 

A  distinguished  judge  of  horses  in  Yermont,  writes  us  : — 

"  The  original  Morgan  ought  not  to  be  pronounced  a  thorough-bred  horse, 
not  having  been  bred  from  a  full  blood  mare.  Yet  it  is  evident  that  the 
rich,  high  blood  from  which  he  sprung,  though  slightly  diluted,  is  the  cause 
of  the  reputation  to  which  his  stock  has  attained.  But  when  we  trace  down 
his  stock,  we  find,  in  the  very  first  generation,  an  admixture  of  cold,  worth- 
less blood,  to  the  full  measure  of  one  half  The  result,  usual  in  similar 
cases,  IS  found  here.  Many  of  the  colts  related  more  or  less  nearly  to  tha 
old  horse,  exliibit  the  characteristics  of  the  "  Morgan" /o?-jn,  but  lack  com- 
pactness— not  of  general  form,  hut  of  muscle,  and  they  lack  bottom.  The 
general  characteristics  of  the  Morgan  family,  are  small  size,  weighing  from 
Beven  hundred  to  one  thousand  pounds — a  long  but  strong  back — plump 


38  THE    CLEVELAND    BAY. 

ness  of  general  contour,  like  a  Berkshire  pig — short,  strong,  hairy  legs — a 
brufique  air — a  bustling  gait,  with  more  pucker  and  gather  than  freedom 
and  elasticity  of  step — long,  coarse  hair — heavy  mane  and  tail — and  a  sur- 
prising predisposition  to  accumulate  fat,  instead  of  muscle — and  a  remark- 
ably docile  and  tractable  temper.  As  a  general  thing,  the  "  Morgans"  have 
not  length  of  stride  enough  to  be  good  roadsters.  They  take  too  many 
steps  in  a  mile.  It  is  but  very  rarely  one  can  be  found  that  proves  to  be  a 
good  "  all-day  horse."  It  often  occurs  that  one  can  be  driven  ten  miles 
within  the  hour,  and  perhaps  at  the  same  rate  for  the  second  hour,  Avithout 
apparent  distress  or  injury.  But  for  a  high  rate  of  speed  throughout  the 
day,  search  must  be  made  among  other  families  than  the  "  Morgan."  There 
is  a  place  for  them,  however.  They  are  good  for  an  hour's  drive — for 
short  stages.  They  are  good  to  run  around  town  with.  They  are  good  in 
the  light  pleasure-wagon — prompt,  lively  (not  spirited)  and  "  trappy." 
There  is  no  question  among  those  who  have  had  fair  opportunities  of  com- 
paring the  "  Morgans"  with  horses  of  purer  blood,  and  descended  from  dif- 
ferent stocks,  in  regard  to  the  relative  position  of  the  "  Morgan."  He  is,  a? 
he  exists  at  the  present  day,  inferior  in  size,  speed,  and  bottom,  in  fact,  Idn 
all  those  qualities  necessary  for  the  performance  of  "  great  deeds"  on  the 
road  or  the  farm,  to  the  descendants  of  Messenger,  Duroc,  imp.  MagnuL.. 
Bonum,  and  of  many  other  horses  of  deserved  celebrity.  The  Clifford  Mor- 
gan embodies  the  characteristics  of  the  "  Morgan"  form,  or  did  embody 
them,  better,  and  in  more  prominent  and  pleasant  relief  than  any  other 
horse  I  am  acquainted  with,  of  this  family."      *     *     * 

The  above  is  not,  as  already  stated,  the  popular  estimate  of 
this  family.  Having  stated  both  sides  of  the  question,  we  leave 
it  to  the  judgment  of  the  pubhc. 


THE   CLEVELAND   BAT. 

According  to  Mr.  Youatt,  the  true  Cleveland  Bay  is  nearly  ex- 
tinct in  England.  They  were  formerly  employed  as  a  heavy, 
slow  coach-horse.  Mr.  Y.  says  :  "  The  origin  of  the  better  kind 
of  coach-horse  is  the  Cleveland  Bay,  coniined  principally  to 
Yorkshire  and  Durham,  with,  perhaps,  Lincolnshire  on  one  side, 
and  Northumberland  on  the  other,  but  difficult  to  meet  with 
pure  in  either  county.  The  Cleveland  mare  is  crossed  by  a 
three-fourths,  or  thorough-bred  horse  of  sufficient  substance  and 
height,  and  the  produce  is  the  coach-horse  most  in  repute,  with 
his  arched  crest  and  high  action.  From  the  thorough-bred  of 
sufficient  height,  but  not  of  so  much  substance,  we  obtain  the 
four-in-hand,  and  superior  curricle-horse. 

From  less  height  and  more  substance  we  have  the  hunter  and 
better  sort  of  hackney  ;  and,  from  the  half-bred,  we  derive  the 
machineer,  the  poster,  and  the  common  carriage-horse  :  indeed, 
Cleveland,  and  the  Yale  of  Pickering,  in  the  East  Riding  of 
Yorkshire,  may  be  considered  as  the  most  decided  breeding  coun- 
'.ry  in  England  for  coach-horses,  hunters,  and  hackneys." 

Again,  in  his  article  on  the  Farmer's  Horse,  Mr.  Y.  says:  "If 


THE    DRAY    HORSE.  39 

he  (the  farmer)  has  a  superior  mare,  one  of  the  old  Cleveland 
breed,  and  puts  her  to  a  L<:Jliy,  three-fourths-bred  horse,  or,  if  he 
can  find  oTie  stout  and  compact  enough,  a  seven-eighths,  or  a 
thorough-bred  one.  he  will  have  a  fair  chance  to  rear  a  colt  that 
will  amply  repay  tiim  as  a  hunter  or  carriage-horse." 

In  his  article  on  Heavy  Draught  Horses,  Mr.  Y.  says :  "  The 
Cleveland  horses  have  been  known  to  carnj  more  than  seven 
hundred  pounds  sixty  miles  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  to  perform 
this  journey  four  times  in  a  week." 

Cleveland  Bays  were  imported  into  western  New  York,  a  few 
years  since,  where  they  have  spread  considerably.  They  have 
often  been  exhibited  at  our  State  Fairs.  They  are  monstrously 
large,  and,  for  their  size,  are  symmetrical  horses,  and  possess  very 
respectable  action.  Whether  they  would  endure  on  the  road,  at 
any  but  a  moderate  pace,  we  are  not  informed,  and  have  some 
doubts.  Whether  they  spring  from  the  genuine  and  unmixed 
Cleveland  stock,  now  so  scarce  in  England,  we  have  no  means  of 
knowmg.  The  half-bloods,  the  produce  of  a  cross  with  our  com- 
mon mares,  are  liked  by  many  of  our  farmers.  They  are  said  to 
make  strong,  serviceable  farm  beasts — though  rather  prone  to 
sullemiess  of  temper. 

THE   DRAT   HORSE. 

Of  the  Heavy  Black  Dray  Horses,  but  few  have  been  imported 
into  this  country,  and  they  do  not  seem  likely  to  become  favorites 
here.     Mr.  Youatt  says  of  them  : 

"  The  Heavy  Black  Horse  is  the  last  variety  it  may  be  necessary 
to  notice.  It  is  bred  chiefly  in  the  midland  counties  from  Lin- 
colnshire to  Staffordshire.  Many  are  bought  up  by  the  Surrey 
and  Berkshire  farmers  at  two  years  old, — and  being  worked  mod- 
erately until  they  are  four,  earning  their  keep  all  the  while,  they 
are  then  sent  to  the  London  market,  and  sold  at  a  profit  of  ten  or 
twelve  per  cent. 

It  would  not  answer  the  breeder  s  purpose  to  keep  them  until 
they  are  fit  for  toAvn-work.  He  has  plenty  of  fillies  and  mares 
on  his  farm  for  every  purpose  that  he  can  require  ;  he  therefore 
sells  them  to  a  person  nearer  the  metropolis,  by  whom  they  a.re 
gradually  trained  and  prepared.  The  traveller  has  probably 
wondered  to  see  four  of  these  enormous  animals  in  a  line  before 
a  plough,  on  no  very  heavy  soil,  and  where  two  lighter  horses 
would  have  been  quite  sufficient.  The  farmer  is  training  them 
for  their  future  destiny  ;  and  he  does  right  in  not  requiring  the 
exertion  of  all  their  strength,  for  their  bones  are  not  yet  perfectly 
formed,  nor  their  joints  knit ;  and  were  he  to  urge  them  too  se- 
trerely,  he  would  probably  injure  and  deform  them.      By  the  geiw 


40  THE    AMERICAN    TROTTING-HOK.SE. 

tie  and  constant  exercise  of  the  plough,  he  is  preparing  them  for 
that  continued  and  equable  pull  at  the  collar,  which  is  after- 
wards so  necessary.  These  horses  are  adapted  more  for  parade 
and  show,  and  to  gratify  the  ambition  which  one  brewer  has  to 
outvie  his  neighbor,  than  for  any  peculiar  utility.  They  are  cer- 
tainly noble-looking  animals,  with  their  round  fat  carcases,  and 
their  sleek  coats,  and  the  evident  pride  which  tliey  take  in  them- 
selves ;  but  they  eat  a  great  deal  of  hay  and  corn,  and  at  hard 
and  long-continued  work  they  would  be  completely  beaten  by  a 
team  of  active  muscular  horses  an  inch  and  a  half  lower. 

The  only  plea  which  can  be  urged  in  their  favor,  beside  their 
fine  appearance,  is,  that  as  shaft-lmrses  over  the  badly-paved 
streets  of  the  metropolis,  and  with  the  immense  loads  they  often 
have  behind  them,  great  bulk  and  weight  are  necessary  to  stand 
the  unavoidable  shaking  and  battering.  Weight  must  be  opposed 
to  weight,  or  the  horse  would  sometimes  be  quite  thiown  off  his 
legs.  A  large  heavy  horse  must  be  in  the  shafts,  and  then  little 
ones  before  him  would  not  look  well. 

Certainly  no  one  has  walked  the  streets  of  London  without 
pitying  the  poor  thill-horse,  jolted  from  side  to  side,  and  exposed 
to  many  a  bruise,  unless,  with  admirable  cleverness,  he  accom- 
modates himself  to  every  motion  ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  it  must 
be  evident,  that  bulk  and  fat  do  not  always  constitute  strength, 
and  that  a  compact  muscular  horse,  approaching  to  sixteen  hands 
high,  would  acquit  himself  far  better  in  such  a  situation.  The 
dray-horse,  in  the  mere  act  of  ascending  from  the  wharf,  may 
display  a  powerful  effort,  but  he  afterwards  makes  little  exertion, 
much  of  his  force  being  expended  in  transporting  his  own  over- 
grown mass." 

THE  AMERICAN  TROTTING-HORSE. 

Before  leaving  the  consideration  of  our  present  topic — the  con- 
sideration of  the  principal  breeds  and  varieties  of  horses  now  in 
the  United  States — we  cannot  refrain  from  calling  attention  to 
our  trotting-horses,  though  in  reality  they  do  not,  at  least  as  a 
whole,  constitute  a  breed,  or  even  a  distinct  variety  or  family. 
There  is  a  family  of  superior  trotters,  including  several  the  best 
our  country  has  ever  produced,  the  descendants  of  Abdallah  and 
Messenger,  and  running  back  through  their  sire  Mambrino,  to  the 
thorough-bred  horse,  old  Messenger.  But  many  of  our  best  trot- 
ters, including  the  extraordinary  animal  of  which  we  have  given 
a  cut,  have  no  known  pedigrees,  and  some  of  them,  without 
doubt,  are  entirely  destitute  of  the  blood  of  the  race-horse.  Lady 
Suffolk  is  by  Engineer,  but  the  blood  of  Engineer  is  unknown 
^she  is  a  {rray  mare,  fifteen  hands  and  two  inches  high).     Dutch 


SUPERIORITY    OF    AMERICAN    TROTTERS. 


41 


LADY     SUFFOLK. 


man  has  no  known  pedigree.  Other  celebrated  trotters  stand  in 
the  same  category, — though  we  are  inchned  to  think  that  a  de- 
cided majority  of  the  best,  especially  at  long  distances,  have  a 
greater  or  less  infusion  of  the  blood  of  the  race-horse. 

The  United  States  has  undoubtedly  produced  more  superior 
iTotters  than  any  other  country  in  the  world,  and  in  no  other 
couutry  has  the  speed  of  the  best  American  trotters  been  equalled. 
The  New  York  "  Spirit  of  the  Times" — the  best  authority  in  oui 
country  on  this  and  all  kindred  topics — thus  compares  the  Eng- 
lish and  American  trotters  : — 

•  Ximrod,  in  admitting  the  superiority  of  our  trotting-horses  to  the 
'  English,'  claims  that  the  English  '  approach  very  near  to  the  Americans, 
even  in  this  breed  of  cattle.  Possibly  the  characteristic  national  vanity 
would  not  allow  him  to  make  a  further  concession.  But  there  is  no  com 
parison  whatever  between  the  trotting-horses  of  the  two  countries.  Mr 
Wheelan,  who  took  Rattler  to  England  last  season,  and  doubly  distanced 
with  ease  every  horse  that  ventured  to  start  against  him,  as  the  record  shows, 
informs  us  that  there  are  twenty  or  more  roadsters  in  common  use  in  thia 
city,  that  could  compete  successfully  with  the  fastest  trotters  on  the  Eng 
lish  turf  They  neither  understand  the  art  of  training,  driving,  or  riding, 
there.  For  example :  some  few  years  since,  Alexander  was  purchased  by 
Messrs.  C.  and  B.  of  this  city,  for  a  friend  or  acquaintance,  in  England. 
Alexander  was  a  well-known  roadster  here,  and  was  purchased  to  order  af 
a  low  rate.     The  horse  was  sent  out  and  trials  made  of  him  ;  but  so  unsuc 


42        CAUSES    OF    THE    SUPERIORITY    OF    AMERICAN    TROTTERS. 

cessful  were  they,  that  the  English  importers  considered  him  an  imposition. 
Thus  the  matter  stood  for  a  year  or  more.  When  Wheelan  arrived  in  Eng 
land,  he  recognized  the  horse,  and  learned  the  particulars  of  his  purchase 
and  subsequent  trials  there.  By  his  advice  the  horse  was  nominated  in  a 
stake  at  Manchester  (we  believe)  with  four  or  five  of  the  best  trotters  in 
England,  he  (Wheelan)  engaging  to  train  and  ride  him.  When  the.,  horses 
came  upon  the  ground,  the  odds  were  4  and  5  to  1  against  Alexander,  who 
won  by  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  !  Wheelan  says  he  took  the  track  at 
starting,  and  widened  the  gap  at  his  ease — that  near  the  finish,  being  sur- 
prised that  no  horse  was  anywhere  near  him,  as  his  own  had  not  yet  made 
a  stroke,  he  got  frightened,  thinking  some  one  might  outbrush  him — that  he 
put  Alexander  up  to  his  work,  and  finally  won  by  an  immense  way,  no 
horse,  literally,  getting  to  the  head  of  the  quarter  stretch,  as  he  came  out 
at  the  winning  stand  !  The  importers  of  Alexander,  at  any  rate,  were  so 
surprised  aiiJ  delighted  at  his  performance,  that  they  presented  Wheelan 
with  a  magnificent  gold  timing- watch,  and  other  valuable  presents,  and  sent 
Messrs.  0.  and  B.  a  superb  service  of  plate,  which  may  be  seen  at  any 
time  at  their  establishment  in  Maiden  Lane." 

From  whence  does  this  superiority  of  the  American  trotters 
spring  ?  Is  it  from  blood  ?  This  would  seem  to  he  disproved 
from  the  facts  already  shown.  The  American  trotter  belongs 
to  no  particular  breed  or  blood.  Many  of  our  celebrated  trotters 
have  partaken  more  or  less  deeply  of  the  blood  of  the  English 
race-horse.  The  Abdallah  and  Messenger  family  are  consider- 
ably more  than  half-bloods — the  dams  of  these  horses  being 
also  of  Messenger  blood.  Unless  it  is  shown  that  the  unknown 
or  common  blood  which  they  possess,  has  been  the  source  of 
their  siqieriority  as  trotters,  then  it  is  certain  that  England 
possesses  as  good  materials  as  ourselves,  so  far  as  blood  is  con- 
cerned, for  breeding  trotters.  The  former  has  never,  so  far  as 
we  are  aware,  been  claimed,  and  there  is  not  a  reasonable  doubt 
that  England  does  possess  all  the  requisite  materials  to  equal  us. 
The  diilereiice  has  been  occasioned  by  management,  training, 
and  attentiou  to  this  definite  object.  On  this  subject,  we  quote 
the  following  just  and  highly  spirited  remarks  from  a  disser- 
tation on  American  Trotting  Horses^  by  that  talented  but  ilU 
rewarded  veteran  agricultural  writer,  Hon.  J.  S.  Skinner  :- — 

"  According  to  the  theory  here  maintained,  the  great  number  of  trotters 
in  America  that  can  go,  as  before  said,  their  mile  under  three  minutes,  and 
there  are  many  who  do  it  under  2m.  40.s.,  and  even  in  some  cases  under 
1in.  305., — as  for  instance  in  the  case  of  Ripton  and  Confidence,  whose  per- 
formances have  given  so  much  gratification  to  sportsmen,  is  to  be  explained 
,x\  tlie  same  way  that  we  account  for  the  great  number  of  siiperb  hunters 
that  are  admitted  to  abound  in  England  above  all  countries,  not  excepting 
our  own.  There,  in  every  county  in  the  Kingdom,  there  are  organized 
"  Hunts,'"  with  their  whippers-in,  and  huntsmen,  and   earth-stoppers,  and 

*  See  prefatory  chapter  to  the  American  edition  of  Youatt  on  the 
^lorse.     Lea  tk  Blanchard :    Philadelphia,  1849. 


ENGLISH  HUNTERS  AND  AMERICAN  TROTTERS.        43 

costly  appointmonts  of  every  kind  to  accommodate  some  fifty  or  an  hun- 
dred coujjle  of  high-bred  hounds,  whose  pedigrees  are  as  well  preserved  as 
those  of  Priam  or  Long  waist ;  and  a  wide  district  of  country  is  reserved 
and  assigned  exclusively  to  each  hunt.  Fox-hunting  is  there  termed  par 
excellence,  a  princely  amusement,  and  gentlemen  of  the  most  exalted  rank 
and  largest  fortune,  take  pride  in  the  office  of  ''Master  of  the  liounds,^'  and 
assuredly  in  all  the  wide  field  of  manly  exercises,  none  can  compare  with 
an  English  fox  or  steeple-chase,  for  union  of  athletic  vigor  and  daring  skill, 
and  magnificence  of  equitation;  unless  perhaps  it  were  some  splendid 
charge  de  cavalrie,  like  those  we  used  to  read  of,  made  by  the  gallant 
MuRAT  at  a  critical  moment  of  the  battle,  when  he  was  wont,  in  his  gor- 
geous uniform  and  towering  plumes,  to  fall  with  his  cavalry  like  an  ava- 
lanche upon  his  adversary,  confounding  and  crushing  him  at  a  blow ! 
Truly,  it  would  well  be  worth  a  trip  across  the  Atlantic,  to  see  a  single 
"  turn  out"  of  an  English  hunt,  all  in  their  fair  tops,  buckskin  smalls,  and 
scarlet  coats,  mounted  on  hunters  that  under  Tattersall's  hammer  would 
command  from  one  to  two  hundred  guineas !  Imagine  such  a  field  with 
thirty  couple  of  staunch  hounds,  heads  up  and  sterns  down,  all  in  full  cry, 
and  well  away  with  then-  fox ! ! 

■NoAV,  my  brave  youths, 


Flourish  the  whip,  nor  spare  the  galling  spur ; 
But  in  the  madness  of  delight,  forget 
Your  fears.     Far  o'er  the  rocky  hills  we  range, 
And  dangerous  our  course ;  but  in  the  brave 
True  courage  never  fails." 

To  indicate  more  strongly  the  prevalence  of  this  partiality  for  trotting- 
horses,  and  emulation  to  own  the  fiistest  goer,  and  the  number  and  extent 
of  associations  and  arrangements  for  this  sort  of  trial  and  amusement,  it 
need  only  be  mentioned  that  the  "  Spirit  of  the  Times,"  published  in  New 
York,  contains  lists  of  matches  and  purses,  and  of  thousands  on  thousands 
of  dollars  in  small  purses,  won  and  lost  on  these  };erformances  on  trotting 
courses!  These  performances  show  that  the  excel' etice  which  is  conceded 
to  American  trotters,  is  not  founded  on  a  solitary  achievement  or  very  rare 
cases,  nor  to  be  ascribed  to  the  possession  of  any  distinct  and  peculiar  breed 
of  horses  ;  but  is  the  natural  and  common  fruit  of  that  union  of  blood  and 
bone,  which  forms  proverbially  the  desideratum  in  a  good  hunter,  with  the 
superaddition  of  skilful  training,  much  practice,  and  artful  jockeying,  for 
the  trotting  course.  Who  can  doubt  that  if  Hiram  Woodruff  were  to  go  to 
England,  having  the  run  of  their  hunting-stables,  he  might  select  nags 
enough  which  could  soon  be  made,  under  his  training  and  consummate 
jockeyship,  to  go  along  with  Edwin  Forrest  and  Lady  Suffolk,  Ripton, 
llattler.  Confidence,  and  the  Dutchman  ?" 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE    ZOOLOGICAL    CLASSIFICATION    OF    THE    HORSE. 

[Before  commencing  the  perusal  of  the  following  chapters,  the  reader,  and 
particularly  the  young  reader,  is  earnestly  requested  to  turn  back  and  read 
the  Introduction.  It  is  believed  that  he  will  there  find  some  highly  useful 
and  important  hints  in  regard  to  the  manner  of  acquiring  a  full  knowledge 
of  the  contents  of  the  work. — much  of  which,  comparatively  speaking,  will 
be  but  imperfectly  understood  by  him,  without  attention  to  the  rules  there 
laid  down. — Am.  Fd.]*- 

In  his  zoological  classification,  the  Horse  ranks  under  the  divi- 
sion vertebrata — ^the  class  mammalia — the  tribe  ungulata — the 
order  pachydermata — and  the  family  solipeda. 

The  solipeda  consist  of  several  sjoecies,  as  the  horse,  the  ass,  the 
mule,  and  the  quagga. 

First  stands  the  Equus  Caeallus,  or  Common  Horse. 

The  horse  has  six  incisors  or  cutting  teeth  in  the  front  of  each 
jaw ;  and  one  canine  tooth  or  tusk. 

On  each  side,  above  and  below — at  some  distance  from  the 
incisors,  and  behind  the  canines,  and  with  some  intervening 
space — are  six  molar  teeth,  or  grinders ;  and  these  molar  teeth 
have  flat  crowns,  with  ridges  of  enamel,  and  that  enamel  pene- 
trating into  the  substance  of  the  tooth. 

The  whole  is  thus  represented  by  natural  historians  : — 

Horse. — Incisors^,  canines  — ,  molar  - — -.  Total,  fort\ 
.eeth.  ^  -^       1-1  ^-6 

♦  The  work  should  be  read  through  in  course,  ealier  bemg  f.^equentlj 
D3ces?ary  to  explain  later  portions  of  it :  and  he  who  would  derive  the  full 
advantage  of  it,  should  never  pass  over  a  word  without  understanding  its 
signification.  Many  of  the  scientific  terms  admit  of  no  substitutes — at  least 
without  much  and  'frequently  recurring  circumlocution — and  their  detinitiona 
will  usually  be  found  in  Webster's  dictionary.  These  should  be  committed 
to  memory;  and  especially  the  names  of  the  different  parts  and  tissues. 
Much  less  trouble  of  this  kind  is  necessary,  than  would  be  supposed,  to  r 
full  understanding  of  the  work. 


SKELr.i'ON    OF    THE    HORSE. 


45 


Skeleton  of  the  Horse. 

Fig.  1. 


The  Head. 

The  posterior  maxillary  or  under  jaw. 

The  superior  maxillary  or  upper  jaw.     A  little  lower  down  than  the  letter 
is  a  foramen,  through  which  pass  the  nerves  and  blood  vessels  which 
chiefly  supply  the  lower  part  of  the  face. 
The  orbit,  or  cavity  containing  the  eye. 
The  nasal  bones,  or  bones  of  the  nose. 

The  suture  dividing  the  parietal  bones  below  from  the  occipital  bones  above. 
The  inferior  maxillary  bone,  containing  the  upper  incisor  teeth. 
The  Seven  Cervical  Vertebrae,  or  bones  of  the  neck. 
The  Eighteen  Dorsal  Vertebrte,  or  bones  of  the  back. 
The  Six  Lumbar  Vertebrae,  or  bones  of  the  loins. 
The  Five  Sacral  Vertebrae,  or  bones  of  the  haunch. 
The  Caudal  Vertebrae,  or  bones  of  the  tail,  generally  about  fifteen. 
The  Scapula,  or  shoulder-blade. 
The  Sternum,  or  fore-part  of  the  chest. 

The  Costae,  or  ribs,  seven  or  eight  articulating  with  the  sternum,  and  called 
the  true  ribs,  and  ten  or  eleven  united  together  by  cartilage,  called  the 
Jalse  ribs. 
The  Humerus,  or  upper  bone  of  the  arm. 
The  Radius,  or  upper  bone  of  the  arm. 

The  LHna,  or  elbow.     The  point  of  the  elbow  is  called  the  Olecranon. 
The  Carpus,  or  knee,  consisting  of  seven  bones. 

The  Metacarpal  bones.     The  larger  metacarpal  or  cannon  or  shank  in 
front,  and  the  smaller  metacarpal  or  splint  bone  behind. 


46  THE    SENSORIAL    FUNCTION. 

g  The  fore  pastern  and  foot,  consisting  of  the  Os  SufFraginis,  or  the  upper  an«*' 
larger  pastern  bone,  with  the  sesamoid  bones  behind,  articulating  with 
the  cannon  and  greater  pastern ;  the  Os  Coronas,  or  lesser  pastern ;  the 
Os  Pedis,  or  cotliu  bone  ;  and  the  Os  Naviculare,  or  navicular,  or  shuttle- 
bone,  not  seen,  and  articulating  with  the  smaller  pastern  and  collin 
bones. 

/i    The  coiTesponding  bones  of  the  hind-feet. 

O  The  Haunch,  consisting  of  three  portions,  the  Ilium,  the  Ischium,  and  the 
Pubis. 

P    The  Femur,  or  thigh. 

Q,   The  stiile  joint  with  the  Patella. 

R   The  Tibia,  or  proper  leg  bone — behind  is  a  small  bone  called  the  fibula. 

S  The  Tarsus,  or  hock,  composed  of  six  bones.  The  prominent  part  is  the  Os 
Calcis,  or  point  of  the  hock. 

T    The  Metatarsals  of  the  hind  leg. 


THE   SENSORIAL   FUN'CTIO:^' 

An  accurate  knowledge  of  what  constitutes  the  just  structure 
of  the  horse — the  form  and  connection  of  parts  on  which  strength, 
or  fleetness,  or  stoutness,  must  necessarily  depend,  is  claimed  by 
nearly  all  who  have  had  anything  to  do  with  this  noble  animal ; 
but  in  reality  it  is  possessed  by  very  few. 

In  speaking  of  the  structure  of  this  animal,  and  the  points 
which  guide  the  opinion  of  real  judges  of  him,  we  shall,  as  briefly 
and  as  simply  as  we  are  able,  explain  those  fundamental  princi- 
ples on  which  his  usefulness  and  beauty  must  depend.  We  re- 
quire one  kind  of  horse  for  slow  and  heavy  draught,  and  another 
for  lighter  and  quicker  work  ;  one  as  a  pleasant  and  safe  roadster 
— another,  with  more  speed  and  equal  contiimance,  as  a  hunter — 
and  another  still  is  wanted  for  the  race-course.  What  is  the  pe- 
culiarity of  structure — what  are  the  particular  points  that  will 
fit  each  for  his  proper  business,  and,  to  a  certain  degree,  unfit  him 
for  everything  else  ?  The  farmer  will  require  a  horse  of  aU-ivork, 
that  can  carry  him  to  market  and  take  him  round  his  farm — on 
which  he  can  occasionally  ride  for  pleasure,  and  which  he  must 
sometimes  degrade  to  the  dung-cart  or  the  harrow.  What  com- 
bination of  powers  will  enable  the  animal  to  discharge  most  of 
these  duties  well,  and  all  of  them  to  a  certain  extent  profitably? 

Much  time  spent  among  horses,  an  acquired  love  of  them,  and 
a  little,  sometimes  possibly  too  dearly-bought  experience,  may 
give  the  agriculturist  some  insight  into  these  matters.  And  we 
shall  try  to  render  him  some  useful  assistance  in  this  affair — to 
teach  him  why  certain  points  must  be  good  or  bad — and  to  induce 
him  to  discard  many  common  but  dangerous  errors  and  prejudices. 
It  is  only  by  being  well  acquainted  Math  the  structure  and  anatomy 
of  the  horse,  that  we  can  appreciate  his  shape  and  uses,  or  under- 
stand the  different  diseases  to  which  he  is  liable. 

The  nervous  system  will  first  pass  in  review,  for  it  is  the  mov 
ing  power  of  the  whole  machine.     It  consists  of  the  brain,  to 


THE    HEAD. 


47 


which  all  sensation  is  referred  or  carried,  ai.d  from  whicli  all 
voluntary  motion  is  derived — the  spinal  cord,  a  prolongation  of 
the  brain,  and  thus  comiected  with  sensation  and  voluntary  mo- 
tion, governing  all  the  involuntary  motions  of  the  frame,  and  by 
power  from  which  the  heart  beats,  and  the  lungs  heave,  and  the 
stomach  digests  ;  and  one  other  system  of  nerves — the  ganglionic 
— presiding  over  the  functions  oi'  secretion  and  of  nutrition,  atd 
the  repair  and  the  welfare  of  the  frarae  generally. 

The  Head. — The  following  cut  represents  the  head  of  the 
horse  divided  into  the  numerous  bones  of  which  it  is  composed, 
and  the  boundaries  of  each  bone  clearly  marked  by  the  sutures 
which  comiect  it  with  those  around.  It  is  composed  of  nine 
bones. 


a  a  Tlie  frontal  bones,  oi'  bones  of  the  forehead. 

b  b  The  supra-orbital  foramina  or  holes  above  the 
oroit,  through  which  the  nerves  and  blood- 
vessels supplying  the  forehead  pass  out.  The 
small  hole  beneath  receives  the  vessels  which 
dip  into  and  supply  the  bone. 

C  c    The  parietal  bones,  or  walls  of  the  skull. 

d  d  The  temporal  bones,  or  bones  of  the  temples. 

e  e    The  zygomatic,  or  yoke-shaped  arch. 

//  The  temporal  fossa,  or  pit  above  the  eye. 

g  g  The  occipital  bone,  or  bone  of  the  hinder  part 
of  the  head. 

h  k  The  orbits  containing  and  defending  the  eye. 

i  i  The  lachrymal  bones  belonging  to  the  convey- 
ance of  the  tears  from  the  eyes. 

j  j    The  nasal  bones,  or  bones  of  the  nose. 

k  k  The  malar,  or  cheek-bones. 

1 1  The  superior  maxillary,  or  that  portion  of  the 
upper  jaw  containing  the  molar  teeth  or 
grinders. 

mm  The  infra-orbital  foramen — a  hole  below  the  or- 
bit, through  which  pass  branches  of  nerves 
and  blood-vessels  to  supply  the  lower  part  of 
the  face. 

n  n  The  inferior  maxillary,  the  lower  part  of  the 
upper  jaw-bone — a  separate  bone  in  quadru- 
peds, containing  the  incisor  or  cutting  teeth, 
and  the  upper  tushes  at  the  point  of  union 
between  the  superior  and  inferior  maxillaries. 
o  The  upper  incisor  or  cutting  teeth. 
p  The  openings  into  the  nose,  with  the  bones 
forming  the  palate. 


The  ethmoid  and  sphenoid  bones  will  be  better  seen  ii  the  cut 
Fig.  3. 

There  is  an  evident  intention  in  this  division  of  the  head  into 
so  many  bones.  When  the  fcutus — the  unborn  foal — first  begins 
to  have  life,  that  which  afterwards  becomes  bone,  is  a  mere  jelly- 
like  substance.  This  is  gradually  changed  into  a  harder  material 
— cartilage  ;  and,  before  the  birth  of  the  animal,  much  of  the 
cartilage  is  taken  away  by  vessels  called  absorbents,  and  bone 


48  THE    HEAD. 

df^posited  in  its  stead.  In  fiat  bones,  lilte  those  of  the  head,  thib 
deposit  talv3s  place  in  tlie  centre,  and  rays  or  radiations  of  bone 
extenrl  tlience  in  every  direction.  Then,  by  having  so  many 
bones,  tliere  are  so  many  centres  of  radiation  ;  and,  consequently, 
the  formation  of  bone  is  carried  on  so  much  the  more  rapidly,  and 
perfected  at  the  trnie  when  the  necessities  of  the  animal  require 
it.  At  the  period  of  birth,  however,  this  process  is  not  completed, 
out  the  edges  of  the  bones  remain  somewhat  soft  and  pliant,  and 
therefore,  in  parturition,  they  yield  a  little  and  overlap  each  other, 
and  ihus,  by  rendering  the  birth  more  easy,  they  save  the  mother 
much  pain,  and  contribute  to  the  safety  of  the  foal. 

The  frontal  bones  are  united  by  a  curious  and  intricate  dove- 
tailing to  defend  from  injury  the  brain  which  lies  beneath  the 
upper  part  of  them.  Lower  down,  and  where  the  cavity  of  the 
nose  is  only  to  be  defended,  their  union  is  sufficient,  but  far  less 
complicated.      Here  we  have  a  proof  of  wise  design. 

Few  things  more  clearly  indicate  the  breed  or  blood  of  the 
horse  thon  the  form  of  the  frontal  bones.  Who  has  not  remarked 
the  broaa  angular  forehead  of  the  blood  horse,  giving  him  a 
beautiful  expression  of  intelligence  and  lire,  and  the  face  gradu- 
ally tapering  from  the  forehead  to  the  muzzle,  contrasted  with 
the  large  face  of  the  cart  or  dray-horse,  and  the  forehead  scarcely 
wider  than  the  face  ? 

Aty,  between  the  frontal  bones,  is  the  pit  or  cavity  above  the 
eye,  and  by  the  depth  of  which  we  form  some  idea  of  the  age  of 
the  horse.  There  is  placed  at  the  back  of  the  eye,  a  consider- 
able quantity  of  fatty  substance,  on  which  it  may  revolve  easily 
and  without  friction.  In  aged  horses,  and  in  diseases  attended 
with  general  loss  of  condition,  much  of  this  disappears  ;  the  eye 
oecumes  sunken,  and  the  pit  above  it  deepens. 

The  sinuses  on  the  different  sides  of  the  forehead  do  not  commu- 
nicate with  each  other,  but  with  other  sinuses  in  the  ethmoid, 
and  sphenoid,  and  upper  jaw-bones,  and  also  with  the  cavities  of 
the  nose  on.  their  respective  sides.  These  sinuses  afford  a  some- 
what increased  protection  to  the  brain  beneath  ;  and  by  the  con- 
tinuous and  slightly  projecting  line  which  they  form,  they  give 
beauty  to  the  forehead  ;  but  their  principal  use  probably  is,  like 
the  windings  of  the  Frencii  horn,  to  increase  the  clearness  and 
loudness  of  the  neighing.  It  will  be  remarked  that  they  are  very 
irregular  in  depth,  which  at  one  place  is  an  inch  or  more. 

In  the  sheep,  and  occasionally  in  the  ox — rarely  in  the  horse  — 
the  larvae  of  maggots,  produced  by  certain  species  of  flies,  crawl 
up  the  nose,  lodge  themselves  in  these  sinuses,  and  produce  intol- 
erable pain. 

Veterinary  surgeons  have  availed  themselves  of  these  sniuses 
to   detect  the  existence  of  glanders  in   doubtful   cases,     if  the 


THE    HEAD. 


49 


hor.-je  is  glandered,  there  will  probably  be  a  coiisideraole  ulcera- 
lioii  HI  the  upper  part  of  the  cavity  of"  the  nose,  and  a  colleciion 
of  matter  there.  This  is  ascertained  by  making  an  opening  into 
the  sinuses,  which  may  be  done  with  perfect  safety.  [See 
Glanders.] 


Section  of  the  Head. 
Fig.  3. 


%5f 


~}0t 


a  The  nasal  bone,  or  bone  of  the  nose. 

b  The  frontal  bone.     The  cavities  or  cells  beneath  art;  called  the  frontal  sinuses 

c   The  crest  or  ridge  of  the  parietal   bones. 

d  The  tentorium  or  bony  separation  between  the  cerebrum  and  cerebellum. 

e  The  occipital  bone. 

/  The  ligament  of  the  XiQ.Qk.,ox  pack-rcax,  by  which  the  head  is  ch'efly  supported 

^  The  atlas,  svafaitdns^  or  carrying :  the  first  bone  of  the  neck. 

k  The  dentata,  tooth-like,  or  second  bone  of  the  neck. 

«  The  cuneiform,  or  wedge-shaped  process,  or  base  of  the  occipital  bone.  Be- 
tween it  and  the  other  portion  of  the  occipital  bone,  e,  lies  the  great 
foramen  or  apertui-e  through  which  the  prolongation  of  the  brain — 
the  spinal  marrow — issues  from  the  skull. 

k  The  sphenoid,  icedge-like,  bone,  v^'ith  its  cavities. 

/    The  ethmoid,  sieve  like,  bone,  with  its  cells. 

m  The  cerebrum,  or  brain,  with  the  appearance  of  its  cortical  and  medullary 
substance. 

11  The  cerebellum,  or  little  brain,  with  its  beautiful  arborescent  appearance, 

o  A  portion  of  the  central  medullary,  marroir-like^  substance  of  the  brain,  and 
the  prolongation  of  it  under  the  name  of  the  crus  cerebri,  leg  of  tht 
brain,  and  from  which  many  of  the  nerves  take  their  origin. 

V  The  medulla  oblongata — the  prolongation  of  the  brain  after  the  medullary 
substance  of  the  cerebrum  and  cerebellum  have  united,  and  forming 
the  commencement  of  the  soiual  man-ow.  The  columnar  appearance 
4  C 


50  TUC    UKaD. 

of  this  portion  of  the  brain  is  represented,  and  the  origins  of  the  reepi 

ratory  nerves. 
q  The  spinal  marrow  extending  through  a  canal  in  the  centre  of  the  bones  of  the 

neck,  bank,  and  loins,  to  the  extremities  of  the  tail,  and  from  which  the 

nerves  of  feeling  and  of  motion,  that  supply  every  part  of  the  frame 

except  the  head,  arise. 
r  The  septum  narium,  or  cartilaginous  division  between  the  nostrils. 
&   The  same  cut  off  at  the  lower  part,  to  show  the  spongy  turbinated,  turban 

skaped,  bones,  filling  the  cavity  of  the  nostril. 
i  The  palate. 

n  The  molar-teeth,  or  grinders. 
V  The  inferior  maxillary  bone,  containing  the   incisor  teeth,  or  nippers.     The 

canine  tooth,  or  tush,  is  concealed  by  the  tongue. 
W7  The  posterior  maxillary,  or  lower  jaw  w^ith  its  incisors. 
X  The  lips, 
y  The  tongue. 
z  A  portion  of  the  os  hyoides,  or  bone  of  the  tongue,  lihe  a  Greek  u,  v. 

1  The  thyroid,  Jielmet-shaped,  cartilage,  enclosing  and  shielding  the  neighboring 

parts.  ^ 

2  The  epiglottis,  or  covering  of  the  glottis,  or  aperture  of  the  wind-pipe. 

3  The  artyenoid,  funnel-shaped,  cartilages,  having  between  tl)em  the  aperture 

leading  into  the  trachea  or  wind-pipe. 

4  One  of  the  chordae  vocales,  cords  or  ligaments  concerned  in  the  formation  of 

the  voice. 

5  The  sacculus  laryjigis,  sac  or  ventricle  of  the  larynx,  <    throat,  to  modulate  the 

voice.  '^ 

6  \E.he  trachea,  or  wind-pipe,  with  its  different  rings. 

7  The  soft  palate  at  the  back  of  the  mouth,  so  constru  Jed  as  almost  to  prevent 

the  possibility  of  vomiting. 

8  The  opening  from  the  back  part  of  the  mouth  into  the  nostril. 

9  The  cartilage  covering  the  entrance  into  the  eustachiai    tube,  or  communication 

between  the  mouth  and  internal  part  of  the  ear. 
10  The  oesophagus,  or  gullet. 

Ij.  The  cricoid,  ring-like,  cartilage,  below  and  behind  th    thyroid. 
12  Muscle  of  the  neck,  covered  by  the  membrane  of  the  back  part  of  the  mouth. 

As  the  froatal  sinuses  are  lined  by  a  continuation  of  the  mem- 
brane of  the  nose,  they  will  sympathize  with  many  of  the  affec- 
tions of  that  cavity  ;  but  the  membrane  of  the  sinuses  is 
susceptible  of  an  inflammation  peculiar  to  itself  The  disease  is 
rare,  and  the  cause  of  it  has  not  been  fully  ascertained.  It  is 
oftenest  metastasis  of  inflammation  of  the  brain, — shifting  of  in- 
flammation from  the  brain  to  the  membrane  of  the  sinus,  or 
communication  of  inflammation  from  tnc  brain  by  proximity  of 
situation. 

Inflammation  of  the  Membrane  of  the  Frontal  Sinuses. 
— The  attack  is  usually  sudden — the  horse  is  dull,  lethargic,  and 
almost  as  comatose  as  in  stomach-staggers.  The  first  thing  that 
excites  suspicion  of  the  actual  character  of  the  disease,  is  heat  in 
the  situation  of  the  frontal  sinus,  when  the  hand  is  placed  on  the 
forehead.  The  lethargy  soon  passes  over,  and  a  state  of  the  high- 
2st  excitation  succeeds.  The  conjunctiva  and  the  membrane  of 
the  nose  are  injected — the  pulse  is  quick  and  hard — the  horse 
Decomes  violent  and  dangerous  ;  he  kicks,  plunges,  and,  half  con* 
scious  and  half  unconscious,  he  endeavors  to  do  all  the  ixiischief 
that  he  can.     The  disease  is  now  evidently  combined  with,  or  is 


THE    HEAD.  51 

essentially,  inflammation  of  the  brain.  It  is  distin^islied  from 
madness  by  tliis  half-consciousness,  and  also  by  his  being  more 
dis])osed  to  bite  than  he  is  in  pure  phrenitis. 

The  disease  is  usually  fatal.  It  rarely  lasts  more  than  eight- 
and-forty  hours. 

The  i^ost-mortem  appearances  are,  great  inflammation  uf  the 
brain,  with  frequent  efiiisions  of  blood.  The  sinuses  are  some- 
times filled  Avith  coagulated  blood.  The  brain  seems  to  be 
affected  just  in  proportion  to  the  violence  which  the  animal  has 
exhibited. 

The  treatment  should  consist  of  copious  bleeding,  application 
of  ice  to  the  head,  blistering  the  head,  and  physic.  The  trephine 
is  scarcely  admissible,  from  the  danger  of  producing  greater 
irritation. 

Sometimes  the  disease  assumes  a  more  chronic  form.  There 
is  ulceration  of  the  membrane,  but  not  cerebral  affection.  A  pur- 
ulent discharge  then  appears  from  the  nose,  evidently  not  of  a 
glanderous  character,  and  none  of  the  submaxillary  glands  are 
eidarged.  In  both  the  acute  and  chronic  form,  it  is  usually  con- 
fined to  one  sinus. 

The  inner  plate  of  the  frontal  bone  covers  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  anterior  part  of  the  brain,  and  it  is  studded  with  de- 
pressions correspondmg  with  irregularities  on  the  surface  of  the 
brain. 

Immediately  above  the  frontal,  and  extending  from  the  frontal 
to  the  poll,  are  the  iDarietal  bones.  They  are  two,  united  together 
by  a  suture  when  the  aninrial  is  young,  but  that  suture  soon 
becoming  obliterated.  They  are  of  a  closer  and  harder  texture 
than  the  frontals,  because  they  are  more  exposed  to  injury,  and 
more  concerned  in  defending  the  brain. 

A  very  small  portion  only  of  the  'parietal?,  is  naked,  and  that 
is  composed  of  bone  even  harder  than  the  other  part,  and  with 
an  additional  layer  of  bone  rising  in  the  form  of  a  crest  or  ridge 
externally.  Every  other  part  of  these  bones  is  covered  by  a 
thick  mass  of  muscle,  the  temjooral  muscle,  which  is  principally 
concerned  in  chewing  the  food,  but  which,  likewise,  by  its  yield- 
ing resistance,  speedily  and  effectually  breaks  the  force  of  tlie 
most  violent  blow. 

On  the  side  of  the  head,  and  under  the  parietals  {d  d, 
Fig.  3),  are  the  temjooral  bones,  one  on  each  side,  //.  These 
again  are  divided  into  two  parts,  or  consist  of  two  distinct  bones  ; 
the  jjetrous  portion,  so  called  from  its  great  or  stony  hardness, 
and  containing  the  wonderful  mechanism  of  the  ear,  and  the 
squatnous  portion,  from  the  appearance  of  its  union  with  the 
parietal,  overlapping  it  like  a  great  scale. 

From  the  latter  there  projects   a  portion  of  bone,  e   which 


52  THE    HEAD. 

onites  witli  the  frontal,  and  forms  a  strong-  arch — ^the  zygomatic — 
distinctly  to  be  felt  at  the  side  of  the  head,  immediately  above 
the  eye.  This  arch  is  designed  to  protect  the  upper  part  of  the 
lower  jaw,  the  motion  of  which  may  very  plainly  be  seen  be- 
neath it  when  the  horse  is  feeding. 

At  the  base  of  the  arch  is  an  important  cavity  not  visible  in 
the  cut,  receiving  into  it,  and  forming  a  joint  with,  the  head  of 
the  lower  jaw — it  will  be  presently  described. 

Having  reached  the  base  of  the  temporal  bone,  it  is  found 
united  to  the  parietal,  not  by  a  simple  suture,  as  the  lower  part 
of  the  frontals,  or  the  bones  of  the  nose  (see  fig.  a  and  j.  Fig.  2), 
nor  by  a  dove-tailed  suture,  as  the  upper  part  of  the  frontals  (see 
the  same  cut),  but  it  is  spread  over  the  parietal  in  the  form  of  a 
large  scale,  and  hence,  as  before  observed,  called  the  sqitamous 
portion  of  the  temporal  bone.  In  fact,  there  are  two  plates  of 
bone  instead  of  one.  Was  there  design  in  this  ?  Yes,  evidently  so. 
In  the  first  place,  to  increase  the  strength  of  the  base  of  the  zygo- 
nuitic  arch.  This  extensive  union  between  the  temporal  and  parie- 
tal bones,  resembles  the  buttress  or  mass  of  masonry  attached  to 
the  base  of  every  arch,  in  order  to  counteract  its  lateral  pressure. 
The  concussion,  likewise,  which  might  be  communicated  by  a 
blow  on  the  top  of  the  arch,  is  thus  spread  over  a  large  surface, 
and  consequently  weakened  and  rendered  comparatively  harmless  ; 
and  that  surface  is  composed  of  the  union  of  two  bones  of  dissimi- 
lar construction.  The  hard  stonij  structure  of  the  parietal  is 
very  different  from  the  tougher  material  of  the  temporal  ;  and 
thus,  as  a  finger  acts  on  a  sounding-glass,  the  vibration  commu- 
nicated to  the  temporal  is  at  once  stopped,  and  the  brain  receives 
no  injury. 

There  is  another  proof  of  admirable  design.  Where  is  this 
iqiiarnous  portion  of  the  temporal  bone  situated  ?  On  the  side 
of  the  head.  And  what  is  the  figure  of  the  cranium  or  skull, 
and  principally  that  part  of  it  which  contains  the  cerebrum  or 
brain  ?  It  is  an  elhptical  or  oval  arch  (see  fig.  m,  n,  o,  Fig.  3). 
If  pressure  is  made  on  the  crown  of  that  arch — if  a  blow  is  re- 
ceived on  the  suture  between  the  parietals  sufficient  to  cause 
the  elastic  materials  of  which  the  skull  is  composed  to  yield — 
the  seat  of  danger  and  injury  is  at  the  side.  If  a  man  receives 
a  violent  blow  on  the  crown  or  back  part  of  the  head,  the  frac- 
ture, if  there  is  any,  is  generally  about  the  temple,  and  the  ex- 
travasation of  blood  is  oftenest  found  there.  The  following  figure 
will  explain  this  : — 

Let  the  line  ABC  represent  an  elliptical  arch,  composed  af 
elastic  materials.  Some  force  shall  be  applied  at  B,  sufficient 
to  cause  it  to  yield.  We  cannot  compress  it  into  smaller  compass ; 
but  iust  in  proportion  as  it  yields  at  B,  will  it  spur  or  bulge  out  at 


THE    HEAD.  >"). 

D,  and  give  way  sometimes  as  represented  at  E.  In  a  dome  the 
weight  of  the  materials  constantly  acting  may  be  considered  as 

representing  the  force  applied  at 
B  ;  and  so  great  is  the  lateral 
pressure,  or  tendency  to  bulge 
out  [vide  D  and  E),  that  it  is 
necessary  either  to  dove-tail  the 
materials  into  one  another,  or  to 
pass  strong  iron  chains  round 
them.  For  want  of  sufficient 
attention  to  this,  "  the  dome  of 
St.  Sophia  in  Constantinople, 
C  built  in  the  time  of  the  emperor 

Justinian,  fell  three  times  during  its  erection  ;  and  the  dome  of  the 
cathedral  of  Florence  stood  unfinished  an  hiuidred  and  twenty 
years,  for  want  of  an  architect." 

Nature,  in  the  construction  of  the  horse's  head,  has  taken 
away  tlie  pressure,  or  removed  the  probability  of  injury,  by  giv- 
ing an  additional  layer  of  bone,  or  a  mass  of  muscle,  where 
alone  there  was  danger,  and  has  dove-tailed  all  the  materials. 
Farther  than  this,  in  order  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  she 
has  placed  this  effectual  girder  at  the  base,  in  the  overlapping 
of  the  squamous  portion  of  the  temporal  bone. 

Above  the  'parietah,  and  separated  from  them  by  a  suture 
(fig.  g",  Fig.  2,  and  fig.  e.  Fig,  3),  is  the  occijntal  bone.  Supe- 
riorly it  covers  and  protects  the  smaller  portion  of  the  brain,  the 
cerebellum  ;  and  as  it  there  constitutes  the  summit  or  crest  of 
the  head,  and  is  particularly  exposed  to  danger,  and  not  pro- 
tected by  muscles,  it  is.  interesting  to  see  what  thickness  it 
assumes.  The  head  of  the  horse  does  not,  like  that  of  the  hu- 
man being,  ride  upright  on  the  neck,  with  all  its  weight  sup- 
ported by  the  spinal  column  ;  but  it  hangs  in  a  slanting  position 
from  the  extremity  of  the  neck,  and  the  neck  itself  projects  a 
considerable  distance  from  the  chest,  and  thus  the  whole  weight 
of  the  head  and  neck  is  suspended  irom  the  chest,  and  require 
very  great  power  in  ore  Br  to  support  them. 
How  is  this  weight  tc  be  supported  ? 

From  the  back  of  the  occipital  bone  (fig.  /*,  Fig.  3),  and  im- 
mediately below  the  crest,  proceeds  a  round  cord  of  considerable 
bulk,  and  composed  of  a  ligamentous  substance,  which  reaches 
down  and  is  securely  attached  to  the  spines  of  the  vertebrae,  or 
bones  of  the  back ;  and  by  this  ligament — the  ligamentum 
colli,  ligament  of  the  neck — the  head  is  supported. 

There  are,  however,  some  admirable  contrivances  connected 
with  this  ligament.  As  it  proceeds  from  the  head,  it  is  in  the 
form  of  a  romid  cord..     It  passes  over  the  atla^^  or  first  bone  of 


54  THE    HEAD. 

the  neck,  Jvatliout  touching  it,  and  then,  attaching  itself  strongly 
to  the  second  bone,  principally  supports  the  head  by  its  union 
with  this  bone.  The  mechanical  disadvantage  is  increased  ;  but 
the  head  is  turned  more  freely  on  the  first  and  second  bones 
The  principal  stress  is  on  the  dentata  or  second  bone,  so  much 
so,  that  in  poll-evil,  this  ligament  may  be  divided  without  seri- 
ous inconvenience  to  the  horse.  It  then  suddenly  sinks  deeper, 
and  communicates  with  all  the  other  vertebrae.  Each  of  these 
communications  becomes  a  separate  point  of  support,  and  as  they 
approach  nearer  to  the  base,  the  mechanical  disadvantage,  or 
the  force  with  which  the  weight  of  the  head  and  neck  presses 
and  acts,  is  materially  lessened. 

The  head,  then,  while  the  animal  is  in  a  state  of  rest,  is  sup- 
ported by  this  ligament,  without  any  aid  from  muscular  energy. 
It  differs  from  the  other  ligaments  of  the  body,  in  the  fact 
that  it  is  elastic.  It  stretches  full  two  inches  longer  when  the 
horse  is  browsing,  and  resumes  its  natural  dimensions  when  the 
head  is  held  erect. 

The  ligament  of  the  neck  is  inserted  into  the  centre  of  the 
back  part  of  the  occipital  bone,  and  immediately  below  the 
vertex  or  crest  of  that  bone  ;  and  therefore  the  bone  is  so  thick 
at  this  part  (see  fig.  e,  Fig  3). 

Many  large  and  powerful  muscles  are  necessary'-  to  turn  the 
head  in  various  directions,  as  well  as  to  assist  in  raising  it  when 
depressed.  The  occipital  bone,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  cut,  pre- 
sents a  spine  running  down  the  centre,  B,  and  a  large  roughened 
surface  for  the  attachment  of  these  muscles,  C  C. 

Lower  down,  and  still  at  the 
back'  ©f  the  occipital  bone,  are 
two  rounded  protuberances  D  D, 
by  which  the  head  is  coim^ected 
with  the  atlas,  or  upper  or  first 
vertebra,  or  bone  of  the  neck : 
and  these  are  called  the  condy- 
loid, cup-shaped,  processes  of  the 
occipital  bone.  All  the  motions 
of  the  head  are  partly,  and  many 
of  them  wholly,  performed  by 
this  joint. 

Between  them  is  a  large  hole, 
i\\e  foramen  magnimi,  or  great 
aperture,  E,  through  which  the  continuation  of  the  brain,  termed 
rhe  spinal  cord  or  marrow,  passes  out  of  the  skull. 

As  an  additional  contrivance  to  support  the  enormous  weight 
of  the  head,  are  two  other  projections  of  the  occipital  bone,  pe- 
culiar to  animals  whose  heads  are  set  on  in  a  slantinsr  direction. 


THE    HEAD  S5 

and  info  wlilcli  powerful  mnsoles  are  inserted.  They  are  called 
the  conccoid,  beak-like,  processes  or  prolongations,  F  F,  of  the 
occipital  bone. 

Running:  ibr\^'ard,  and  forming  outM\T.rdly  a  part  of  the  base, 
and  inwardly  a  portion  of  the  floor  of  the  skull,  is  what,  from 
its  wedge-like  shape,  is  called  the  cuneiform  process  of  the 
occipital  bone  (fig.  i,  Fig.  3).  It  is  thick,  strong,  and  solid,  and 
placed  at  the  bottom  of  the  skull,  not  only  to  be  a  proper  foun- 
dation for,  and  to  give  additional  strength  to,  the  arch  on  either 
side,  but  speedily  to  stop  all  vibration  "and  concussion. 

At  the  base  of  the  skull,  and  anterior  to  or  below  the  oc- 
cipital, lies  the  sphenoid,  wedge-like  bone  (fig.  k,  Fig.  3).  Its 
body,  likewise  called  the  cuneiforrti  or  wedge-shaped  process,  is 
a  contmuation  of  the  same  process  of  the  occipital,  and,  like  it, 
is  thick  and  solid,  and  for  the  same  important  purpose.  This 
bone  branches  out  into  four  irregular  bodies  or  plates,  two  of 
which  are  called  the  ivings,  and  two  running  to  the  palate,  the 
legs.  They  could  not  be  represented  in  the  cut,  and  there  it 
nothing  important  belonging  to  them,  so  fa,r  as  this  work  is  eon- 
cerned.  Internally  (fig.  k),  the  sphenoid  forms  a  portion  of  the 
cavity  of  the  skull. 

Of  the  ethmoid,  sieve-like,  bone,  little  can  be  seen  outwardly. 
A  small  portion  is  found  in  the  back  part  of  the  orbit,  and  in 
the  cavity  of  the  cranium  ;  but  the  most  important  part  of  it  is 
that  which  is  composed  of  a  great  number  of  tliin  plates,  form- 
ing numerous  cavities  or  cells  (fig.  I,  Fig.  3),  lined  with  the 
membrane  of  the  nose,  and  entering  into  its  cavity.  The  upper 
portion  is  called  the  cribriform  or  sieve-shaped  plate,  from  its 
being  perforated  by  a  multitude  of  little  holes,  through  wliich 
the  nerve  connected  with  smelling  passes  and  spreads  over  the 
nose. 

Altogether  these  bones  form  a  cavity  of  an  irregular  oval 
shape,  but  the  tentorium  penetrating  into  it.  gives  it  the  appear- 
ance of  being  divided  into  iwo  {d,  Fig.  3), 

The  cavity  of  the  skull  may  be  said  to  be  arched  all  round. 
The  builder  knows  the  strength  which  is  connected  with  the 
form  of  an  arch.  If  properly  constructed,  it  is  equal  to  a  solid 
mass  of  masonry.  The  arch  of  a  horse's  skull  has  not  much 
weight  to  support,  but  it  is  exposed  to  many  injuries  from  the 
brutality  of  those  by  whom  he  should  be  protected,  and  from  ac- 
cidental causes. 

On  raising  any  part  of  the  skull  of  the  horse,  the  dense  and 
strong  membrane  which  is  at  once  the  lining  of  the  cranium  and 
the  covering  of  the  brain — the  dura  mater — presents  itself.  It 
is  united  to  the  membranes  below  by  numerous  little  cords  er 
prolongations  of  its  substance,  conveying    blood  and   ftnmmuni- 


DO  THE    BRAIN. 

eating  strength  to  the  parts  beneath.  Between  this  membrane 
common  to  the  cranium  and  the  brain,  and  the  proper  investing 
tmiic  of  that  organ,  is  fomid  that  delicate  gossamer's  web,  appro- 
priately called  the  arachnoid — the  spider's  membrane — and 
which  is  seen  in  other  animals,  designed  either  to  secrete  the 
fluid  which  is  interposed,  for  the  purpose  of  obviating  injurious 
concussion,  or  perhaps,  to  prevent  the  brain  from  readily  sym- 
pathizing with  any  inflammatory  action  produced  by  injury  of 
the  skull. 

Beneath  is  the  proper  investing  membrane  of  the  brain — the 
'pia  'inater — which  not  only  covers  the  external  surface  of  the 
brain,  but  penetrates  into  every  depression,  lines  every  ventricle, 
and  clothes  every  irregularity  and  part  and  portion  of  the  brain. 

The  Brain. — We  now  arrive  at  the  brain  itself.  The  brain 
of  the  horse  corresponds  with  the  cavity  in  which  it  is  placed 
(m,  Fig.  3).  It  is  a  flattened  oval.  It  is  divided  into  two  parts, 
one  much  larger  than  the  other — the  cerebrwtn  or  brain,  and 
the  cerebellum  or  little  brain  {n,  Fig.  3).  The  brain  of  a  horse 
is  only  about  half  the  size  and  weight  of  that  of  a  man. 

When  the  brain  is  cut,  it  is  found  to  be  composed  of  two  sub- 
stances very  unlike  in  appearance  (w^,  Fig.  3)  ;  one,  principally  on 
the  outside,  gray,  or  ash-colored,  and  therefore  called  the  cortical 
{bark-like)  from  its  situation,  and  cineritious  [ashen)  from  its 
color ;  and  the  other,  lying  deeper  in  the  brain,  and  from  its 
pulpy  nature  called  the  medullary  substance.  Although  placed 
in  apposition  with  each  other,  and  seemingly  mingling,  they 
never  run  into  the  same  mass,  or  change  by  degrees  into  one 
another,  but  are  essentially  distinct  in  construction  as  well  as  in 
function. 

The  medullary  portion  is  connected  with  the  nervous  system. 
The  nerves  are  prolongations  of  it,  and  are  concerned  in  the  dis- 
charge of  all  the  offices  of  life.  They  give  motion  and  energy 
to  the  limbs,  the  heart,  the  lungs,  the  stomach,  and  every  part 
connected  with  life.  They  are  the  medium  through  which  sen- 
sation is  conveyed  ;  and  they  supply  the  mind  with  materials  to 
think  and  work  upon. 

The  cineritious  part  has  a  different  appearance,  and  is  differ- 
ently constituted.  Some  have  supposed,  and  with  much  appear- 
ance of  truth,  'that  it  is  the  residence  of  the  mind — receiving  the 
impressions  that  are  conveyed  to  the  brain  by  the  sensitive 
nerves,  and  directing  the  operation  and  action  of  those  which 
give  motion  to  the  limbs. 

From  the  medullary  substance — as  already  stated — proceed 
certain  cords  or  prolongations,  termed  nerves,  by  which  the  ani- 
mal is  enabled  to  receive  impressions  from  surrounding  objects. 
4nd  to  coimect  himself  with  them  ;    and  also  to  possess  many 


THE    L;RA1^. 


*>! 


pleasurable  or  painful  sensations.  One  of  them  is  spread  over 
the  membrane  of  the  nose,  and  gives  the  sense  of  smell ;  another 
expands  on  the  back  of  the  eye,  and  the  faculty  oi'  sight  is  gained  ; 
and  a  third  goes  to  the  internal  structure  of  the  ear,  and  tlie  ani- 
mal is  conscious  of  sound.  Other  nerves,  proceeding  to  ditierent 
parts,  give  the  faculty  of  motion,  while  an  equally  important  one 
bestows  the  power  of  feeling. 

One  division  of  nerves  [Jl,  Fig.  3),  springing  from  a  prolonga- 
tion of  the  brain,  and  yet  within  the  skull,  wanders  to  difierent 
parts  of  the  frame,  for  important  purposes  connected  with  respira- 
tion or  breathing.  The  act  of  breathing  is  essential  to  life,  and 
were  it  to  cease,  the  animal  would  die.  These  are  nerves  of  ^?^- 
volic?itary  motion  ;  so  that,  whether  he  is  awake  or  asleep,  con- 
scious of  it  or  not,  the  lungs  heave  and  liie  is  supported.  Lastly, 
from  the  spinal  cord  q — a  farther  prolongation  of  the  brain,  and 
running  through  a  cavity  in  the  bones  of  the  neck,  back,  and 
loins,  and  extending  to  the  very  tip  of  the  tail — other  nerves  are 
given  off  at  certain  intervals.  The  cut  below  delineates  a  pair 
of  them.     The  spmal  cord  a,  is  combined  of  six  dii^tinct  columns 

Fia:.  6. 


or  rods,  running  through  its  whole  length — three  on  either  side 
The  two  upper  columns — the  portion  of  spinal  marroAV  represeu' 
ed  in  our  cut,  is  supposed  to  be  placed  with  its  inner  or  lower 
surface  towards  us — proceed  from  those  tracks  of  the  brain  devoted 
to  sensation.  Numerous  distinct  fibres  spring  abruptly  from  the 
column,  and  which  collect  together,  and,  passing  through  a  little 
ganglion  or  enlargement,  d — an  enlargement  of  a  nervous  cord  is 
called  a  ganglion — become  a  nerve  of  sensation.  From  the 
lower  or  imier  side, — a  prolongation  of  the  track  devoted  to 
motion, — proceed  other  fibres,  which  also  collect  gradually  to- 
gether, and  form  a  nervous  cord,  c,  giving  the  power  of  motion. 
Reyond   the   ganglion   the   two  unite,  and  form  a  perfect  spinal 

c 


58  THE    EAR. 

nerve,  h,  possessing  the  power  both  of  sensation  and  motion ; 
and  the  fibres  of  the  two  columns  proceed  to  "their  destination, 
enveloped  in  the  same  sheath,  and  apparently  one  nerve.  Out 
cut,  closely  examined,  will  give  at  b  some  idea  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  these  distinct  fibres  are  continued  ; — each  covered 
by  its  own  membrane,  but  all  enveloped  in  a  common  en- 
velope. 

All  these  nerves  are  organs  of  sensation  and  motion  alone  ; 
but  there  are  others  whose  origin  seems  to  be  outside  of"  and 
below  the  brain.  These  are  the  synij^athetic,  so  called  from 
their  union  and  sympathy  with  all  the  others,  and  identified 
with  life  itself.  They  proceed  from  a  small  ganglion  or  enlarge- 
ment in  the  upper  part  of  the  neck,  or  from  a  collection  of  little 
ganglia  in  the  abdomen.  They  go  to  the  heart,  and  it  beats, 
and  to  the  stomach,  and  it  digests.  They  form  a  net-work  round 
each  blood-vessel,  and  the  current  flows  on.  They  surround  the 
very  minutest  vessels,  and  the  frame  is  nourished  and  built  up. 
They  are  destitute  of  sensation,  and  they  are  perfectly  beyond 
the  control  of  the  will. 

The  reader,  we  trust,  will  now  comprehend  this  wonderful, 
yet  simple  machinery,  and  be  able,  by  and  by,  to  refer  to  it  the 
explanation  of  several  diseases,  and  particularly  of  the  operation 
to  which  we  have  referred. 

Two  of  the  senses  have  their  residence  in  the  cavity  of  the 
cranium — those  of  hearing  and  sight. 

The  Ear. — They  who  know  anything  of  the  horse,  pay  much 
attention  to  the  size,  setting  on,  and  motion  of  the  ear.  Ears 
rather  small  than  large — placed  not  too  far  apart — erect  and 
quick  in  motion,  indicate  both  breeding  and  spirit ;  and  if  a  horse 
is  frequently  in  the  habit  of  carrying  one  ear  forward,  and  the 
other  backward,  and  especially  if  he  does  so  on  a  journey,  he 
will  generally  possess  both  spirit  and  continuance. 

The  ear  of  the  horse  is  more  intelligible  even  than  the  eye,  m 
indicating  his  temper  and  intentions.  His  hearing  is  remarkably 
acute.  The  cartilage  of  the  ear  is  attached  to  the  head  by  liga- 
ments and  sustained  by  muscles,  on  which  its  action  depends 
The  ear  is  covered  by  skin  thinner  than  in  most  other  parts  of 
the  body,  and  is  destitute  of  other  tissues  unnecessarily  increasing 
its  bulk  and  weight.  Under  the  skin  are  glands  that  secrete  and 
throw  out  a  white  greasy  matter,  destined  to  keep  the  parts  sup- 
ple and  smooth.  Below  this  are  other  glandi=«  which  deposit  the 
wax,  which  is  supposed  to  be  necessary  to  deter  insects  from 
crawling  into  the  ear,  by  its  offensiveness  to  them,  or  by  mechan- 
ically arresting  their  progress.  Long  hair  standing  across  the 
inner  passage  of  the  ear  in  e"v  'ry  direction,  keeps  out  insects, 
cold,  and  properly  breaks  sounds  striking  on  the  membrane  cover- 


THE    EYE  5^ 

ing  the  drum  of  the  ear.     It  should  not  therefore  be  cut  out,  as 

is  sometimes  customary.  - 

The  sound,  collected  by  the  outer  ear,  is  conveyed  through  the 
external  auditory  passage  to  the  Qiiembrana  tympani — the  mem- 
brane of  the  drum,  stretching  across  and  closing  the  external 
passage.  Between  this  and  another  membrane  still  deeper  in 
the  ear,  are  four  little  bones,  highly  elastic,  and  covered  with  a 
highly  elastic  cartilage,  by  means  of  which  the  vibrations  of 
Bound  are  conveyed  more  perfectly  than  they  would  be  through 
the  mere  air  of  the  cavity. 

It  is  conveyed  to  a  strangely  irregular  cavity,  filled  with  an 
aqueous  fluid,  and  the  substance  or  pulp  of  the  portio  mollis  or 
soft  portion  of  the  seventh  pair  of  nerves,  the  cmditory  nerve, 
expands  on  the  membrane  that  lines  the  walls  of  this  cavity. 

Sound  is  propagated  far  more  intensely  through  water  than 
through  air ;  and  therefore  it  is  that  an  aqueous  fluid  occupies 
those  chambers  of  the  ear  on  the  walls  of  which  the  auditory 
nerve  is  expanded. 

The  Eye — The  Eye  is  a  most  important  organ,  and  comes 
next  under  consideration,  as  enclosed  in  the  bones  of  the  skull. 
The  eye  of  the  horse  should  be  large,  somewhat  but  not  too 
prominent,  and  the  eyelid  fine  and  thin.  If  the  eye  is  sunlt  in 
the  head,  and  apparently  little — for  there  is  actually  a  ver)^  tri- 
fling difference  in  the  size  of  the  eye  in  animals  of  the  same  spe- 
cies and  bulk,  and  that  seeming  difference  arises  from  the  larger 
or  smaller  opening  between  the  lids — and  the  lid  is  thick,  and 
especially  if  there  is  any  puckering  towards  the  inner  corner  of 
the  hds,  that  eye  either  is  diseased,  or  has  lately  been  subject  tc 
inflammation  ;  and,  particularly,  if  one  eye  is  smaller  than  the 
other,  it  has,  at  no  great  distance  of  time,  been  inflamed. 

The  eye  of  the  horse  enables  us  with  tolerable  accuracy  to 
guess  at  his  temper.  If  much  of  the  white  is  s'-en,  the  buyer 
should  pause  ere  he  completes  his  bargain ;  for  horses  exhibiting 
this  characteristic  are  usually  found  vicious-tempered. 

The  eyes  are  placed  at  the  side  of  the  head,  but  the  direction 
of  the  conoid  cavity  which  they  occupy,  and  of  the  sheath  by 
which  they  are  surrounded  within  the  orbit,  gives  them  a  pre- 
vailing direction  forwards,  so  that  the  animal  has  a  veiy  extended 
field  of  vision. 

The  eye-ball  is  placed  in  the  anterior  and  most  capacious  part 
of  the  orbit,  nearer  to  the  frontal  than  the  temporal  side,  with  a 
degree  of  prominence  varying  with  diflerent  individuals,  and  the 
will  of  the  animal.  It  is  protected  by  a  bony  socket  beneath  and 
on  the  inside,  but  is  partially  exposed  on  the  roof  and  on  the  out- 
side. It  is,  however,  covered  and  secured  by  thick  and  powerfu' 
muscles — ^by  a  mass  of  adipose  matter  which  is  distributed  to  va 


60  THE    KYI. 

nous  parts  of  the  orbit,  upon  which  the  eye  may  be  readily  moved 
without  friction  and  by  a  sheath  of  considerable  density  and 
firmness,  and  especially  where  it  is  most  needed,  on  tiie  exteruai 
and  superior  portions. 

In  front,  the  eye  is  supported  and  covered  by  the  lids,  which 
closinf?  rapidly,  protect  it  Irom  many  an  injury  that  threatens 
and  supply  it  witii  that  moisture  which  is  necessary  to  preserve 
its  transparency. 

Extending  round  both  lids,  and,  it  may  be  almost  said,  having 
neither  origin  nor  insertion,  is  a  muscle  called  the  orbicidaru,  or 
circular  muscle.  Its  office  is  to  close  the  lids  in  the  act  of  wink- 
ing or  otherwise,  but  only  while  the  animal  is  awake.  When  he 
sleeps,  this  is  effected  by  another  and  very  ingenious  mechanism. 
The  natural  state  of  the  eyelids  is  that  ol'  being  closed  ;  and  they 
are  kept  open  by  the  energy  of  the  muscles  whose  office  it  is  1o 
raise  the  upper  lid.  As  sleep  steals  upon  the  animal,  these  mus- 
cles cease  to  act,  and  the  lids  close  by  the  inherent  elasticity  of 
the  membrane  of  which  they  are  composed. 

The  skin  of  the  lid  is,  like  that  of  the  ear,  exceedingly  fine,  in 
order  to  prevent  unnecessary  weight  and  pressure  on  such  a  part* 
and  to  give  more  easy  and  extensive  motion. 

The  horse  has  no  eye-brow^,  and  the  eye-lashes  are  peculiarly 
arranged  to  guard  against  the  ingress  of  too  much  light,  or  oi'  in- 
sects, and  therefore  should  never  be  clipped,  as  is  the  custom 
with  some  senseless  grooms  in  England. 

There  is  a  beautiful  contrivance  about  the  horse's  eye,  to  cleai 
it  of  dust,  insects,  and  other  foreign  matters.  Concealed  withir 
its  inner  corner,  or  only  the  margin  of  it,  black  or  pied,  visible 
is  a  triangular-shaped  cartilage,  the  haiv^  with  its  broad  part  for- 
■^ards.  It  is  concave  within,  exactly  to  suit  the  globe  of  the  eye; 
it  is  convex  without,  acurately  to  adapt  itself  to  the  membrane 
luring  the  lid ;  and  the  base  of  it  is  reduced  to  a  thin  or  almost 
sharp  edge.  At  the  will  of  the  animal  this  is  suddenly  protruded 
from  its  hiding-place.  It  passes  rapidly  over  the  eye,  and  shovels 
up  every  nuisance  mixed  with  the  tears,  and  then,  being  speedily 
drawii  back,  the  dust  or  msect  is  wiped  away  as  the  cartilage 
again  passes  under  the  corner  of  the  eye. 

The  ha\D  has  no  muscle  attached  to  it  to  thrust  it  forward  or 
draw  it  dack.  When  that  powerful  muscle  which  the  horse 
possesses  m  common  with  other  quadrupeds,  for  the  purpose  of 
dra\\ang  back  the  eye,  or  causing  it  to  recede  into  its  socket,  when 
thi'eatened  with  danger,  is  brought  into  action,  the  eye  presses 
upon  the  flitty  matter  below  it,  and  as  a  portion  of  that  fotty 
inatter  is  peculiarly  accumulated  about  the  mner  corner  of  the 
r  ye,  it  is  forced  outward  in  that  direction  and  drives  the  haw  be- 
'■  ire  it.     Being  pressed  ^  ^tween  the  eye  and  a  polished  bone,  it 


THE    EYli;  61 

shoots  out  witli  the  velocity  of  lightning,  and  guided  by  the  lids, 
projects  over  the  eye,  and  clears  it  of  oiiending  matter.  When 
the  muscle  which  draws  in  the  eye  ceases  to  act,  the  eye  resumes 
its  natural  situation  in  the  orbit.  There  is  room  for  the  fatty 
matter  to  return  to  its  place,  and  it  immediately  returns  by  the 
elasticity  of  the  membrane  by  which  it  is  covered,  and  draws 
after  it  this  cartilage  with  which  it  is  comiected,  and  whose  return 
is  as  rapid  as  Avas  the  projection. 

The  old  farriers  strangely  misunderstood  the  nature  and  design 
of  the  haw,  and  many  at  the  present  day  do  not  seem  to  be  much 
better  informed.  When,  from  sympathy  with  other  parts  of  the 
eye  laboring  under  inflammation,  and  becoming  itself  inflamed 
and  increased  in  bulk,  and  the  neighboring  parts  likewise  thick- 
ened, it  is  either  forced  out  of  its  place,  or  voluntarily  protruded 
to  defend  the  eye  from  the  action  of  light  and  cannot  return,  they 
mistake  it  for  some  injurious  excrescence  or  tumor,  and  proceed 
to  cut  it  out.  The  "  haw  in  the  eye"  is  a  disease  well  known  to 
the  majority  of  grooms,  and  this  sad  remedy  for  it  is  deemed  the 
only  cure.  It  is  a  barbarous  practice,  and  if  they  were  compelled 
to  walk  half  a  dozen  miles  in  a  thick  dust,  without  being  per- 
mitted to  wipe  or  to  cleanse  the  eye,  they  would  feel  the  torture 
to  which  they  doom  this  noble  animal.  A  little  patience  having 
been  exercised,  and  a  few  cooling  applications  made  to  the  eye 
while  the  mflammation  lasted,  and  ai'terwards  some  mild  astrin- 
gent ones,  and  other  proper  means  being  employed,  the  tumor 
would  have  disappeared,  the  haw  would  have  returned  to  its 
place,  and  the  animal  would  have  discharged  the  duties  required 
of  him  without  inconvenience  to  himself,  instead  of  the  agony  to 
which  an  unguarded  and  unprotected  eye  must  now  expose  him. 

The  loss  of  blood  occasioned  by  the  excision  of  the  haw  may 
frequently  relieve  the  inflammation  of  the  eye  ;  and  the  evident 
amendment  which  follows  induces  these  wise  men  to  believe  that 
they  have  performed  an  excellent  operation  ;  but  the  same  loss 
of  blood  by  scarification  of  the  overloaded  vessels  of  the  con 
junctiva  would  be  equally  beneficial,  and  the  animal  would  not 
be  deprived  of  an  instrument  of  admirable  use  to  him. 

The  eye  is  of  a  globular  figure,  yet  not  a  perfect  globe.  It  is 
rather  composed  of  parts  of  two  globes ;  the  half  of  one  of  them 
smaller  and  transparent  in  front,  and  of  the  other  larger  and  the 
coat  of  it  opaque,  behind.  We  shall  most  conveniently  begin 
with  the  coats  of  the  eye. 

The  conjunctiva,  f  (Fig.  7),  is  that  membrane  which  lines  the 
'ids,  and  covers  the  fore-part  of  the  eye.    It  spreads  over  all  that  we 
can  see  or  feel  of  the  eye,  and  even  the  transparent  part.     It  is 
itself  transparent,  and  transmits  the  color  of  the  parts  beneath 
It  is  very  susceptible  of  inflammation. 


«2 


THE    EYK. 


Fig.  1. 


A  B  a  supposed  object  viewed  by  the  animal,  and  an  inverted  image  of  which,  a 
b,  is  thrown  on  the  retina  at  the  back  of  the  eye. 

c  c  The  points  where  the  rays,  having  passed  the  coi-nea  and  lens,  converge  by 
tlie  refractive  power  of  the  lens. 

d  e    The  rays  proceeding  from  the  extremities  of  the  object  to  the  eye. 

f  The  cornea,  or  horny  and  transparent  part  of  the  eye,  covered  by  the  con- 
junctiva, uniting  different  parts  together. 

g'  The  crystalline  (crystal  or  glassy)  lens,  behind  the  pupil,  and  in  front  of  the 
vitreous  humor. 

h  h    Muscles  of  the  eye. 

i        The  optic  nerve,  or  nerve  of  sight. 

k  The  sclerotica  (hard  firm  coat)  covering  the  whole  of  the  eye  except  the  por- 
tion occupied  by  the  cornea,  and  being  a  seeming  prolongation  of  the 
covering  of  the  optic  nerve. 

I  The  choroides  (receptacle  or  covering),  or  choroid  coat,  covei'ed  with  a  black 
secretion  or  paint. 

m  m  The  iris  or  rainbow-colored  circular  membrane  under  the  cornea,  in  front 
of  the  eye,  and  on  which  the  color  of  the  eye  depends.  The  duplica- 
ture  behind  is  the  2wea,  from  being  colored  like  a  grape.  The  opening 
in  the  centre  is  the  pupil. 

n  n    The  ciliary  (hair-like)  processes. 

o  The  retina,  or  net-like  expansion  of  the  optic  nerve,  spread  over  the  whole 
of  the  choroides  as  far  as  the  lens. 

p  The  vitreous  (glass-like)  humor  filling  the  whole  of  the  cavity  of  the  eye 
behind  the  lens. 

q  The  aqueous  (water-like)  humor  filling  the  space  between  the  cornea  and 
the  lens. 

Covering  the  back  part  of  the  eye,  and  indeed  four  fifths  of 
the  globe  of  it,  is  the  sclerotica,  k. 

The  cornea  is,  or  we  would  wish  it  to  be,  the  only  visible 
part  of  the  horse's  eye.  It  fills  up  the  vacuity  which  is  left  by 
the  sclerotica  in  the  fore-part  of  the  eye,  and,  although  closely 
united  to  the  sclerotica,  may  be  separated  from  it,  and  will  drop 
out  like  a  watch-glass.  Its  convexity  or  projection  is  a  point  of 
considerable  importance,  as  we  shall  hereafter  have  occasion  to  ,«ee 

It  should  be  perfectly  transparent.  Any  cloudiness  or  opacity 
is  the  consequence  of  disease.  There  is  nothing  that  deserves 
attention  from  the  purchaser  of  a  horse  more  than  its  perfect 
transparency  over  the  whole  of  its  surface.  The  eye  should  fee 
examined  for  this  purpose  both  in   front,  and  with  the  face  of 


TIIE    EYE.       »  63 

the  examiner  close  to  the  cheek  of  the  horse,  under  and  behind 
the  eye.  The  latter  method  of  looking  through  the  cornea  is 
the  most  satisfactory,  so  far  as  the  transparency  of  that  part  of 
the  eye  is  concerned.  During  this  exainination  the  horse  should 
not  be  in  the  open  air,  but  in  the  stable  standing  in  the  door- 
way and  a  little  within  the  door.  If  any  small,  faint,  whitish 
lines  appear  to  cross  the  cornea,  or  spread  over  any  part  of  it, 
they  are  assuredly  the  remains  of  previous  inflammation ;  or, 
although  the  centre  and  bulk  of  the  cornea  should  be  perfectly 
clear,  yet  if  around  the  edge  of  it,  where  it  unites  with  the 
sclerotica,  there  should  be  a  narrow  ring  or  circle  of  haziness, 
the  conclusion  is  equally  true,  that  the  inflammation  occurred  at 
a  more  distant  period.  Whether  however  the  inflammation  has 
lately  existed,  or  several  weeks  or  months  have  elapsed  since  it 
was  subdued,  it  is  too  likely  to  recur. 

There  is  one  caution  to  be  added.  The  cornea  in  its  natural 
state  is  not  only  a  beautiful  transparent  structure,  but  it  reflects, 
even  in  proportion  to  its  transparency,  many  of  the  rays  which 
fall  upon  it;  and  if  there  is  a  white  object  immediately  before 
the  eye,  as  a  light  waistcoat,  or  much  display  of  a  white  neck- 
cloth, the  reflection  may  puzzle  an  experienced  observer,  and  has 
misled  many  a  careless  one.  The  coat  should  be  buttoned  up, 
and  the  white  cravat  carefully  concealed. 

Within  the  sclerotica,  and  connected  with  it  by  innumerable 
minute  fibres  and  vessels,  is  the  choroid  coat,  I.  It  is  a  very 
delicate  membrane,  and  extends  over  the  whole  of  the  internal 
part  of  the  eye,  from  the  optic  nerve  to  the  cornea.  It  secretes 
a  dark-colored  substance  or  paint,  by  which  it  is  covered  ;  the 
intention  of  which,  like  the  inside  of  our  telescopes  and  micro- 
scopes, is  probably  to  absorb  any  wandering  rays  of  light  which 
might  dazzle  and  confuse  the  vision.  The  different  manner  in 
which  this  colored  matter  is  distributed  in  the  horse's  eye  from 
that  of  the  human  being,  and  its  difierent  color,  render  the  sight 
of  the  former  less  strong  during  the  day,  but  much  more  acute 
in  the  night. 

Perfectly  white  and  cream-colored  horses  have  a  peculiar  ap- 
pearance of  the  eyes.  The  pupil  is  red  instead  of  black.  It  is 
the  choroid  coat  itself  which  we  see  in  them ;  and  the  red  ap- 
pearance is  caused  by  the  numerous  blood-vessels  wliich  are 
^bund  on  every  part  of  that  coat. 

Tracing  the  choroides  towards  the  fore-part  of  the  eye,  we 
perceive  that  it  is  reflected  from  the  side  to  the  edge  of  the  lens, 
n,  and  has  the  appearance  of  several  plaits  or  folds.  They  are 
Actually  foldings  of  the  membrane.  They  prevent  the  passage 
of  any  rays  of  light  on  the  outside  of  the  lens,  and  which,  pro- 
ceeding forward  in  various  directions,  and  uncondensed   by  the 


f>4  THE    EYE. 

power  of  the  lens,  would  render  vision  confused  or  imperfect 
These  folds  of  the  choroides  are  called  the  ciliary  jyi'ocesses. 

Within  the  cornea,  and  occupying  the  fore-part  of  the  eye,  is 
the  aqueous  hirnior,  j)^  so  termed  from  its  resemblance  to  pure 
water.  It  is  that  by  which  the  cornea  is  preserved  in  its  protu- 
berant and  rounded  form.  It  extends  to  the  crystalline  lens  q, 
and  therefore  a  portion  of  it,  although  a  very  small  one,  is  be- 
hind the  iris  {tn,  Fig.  7).  Floating  in  this  fluid  is  a  membrane, 
with  an  oblong  aperture,  called  the  Iris.  It  is  that  which  gives 
color  to  the  eye.  The  color  varies  little  in  the  horse,  except 
that  it  always  bears  some  analogy  to  that  of  the  skin.  We 
rarely  see  it  lighter  than  a  hazel,  or  darker  than  a  brown. 
Horses  perfectly  white,  or  cream-colored,  have  the  iris  white 
and  the  pupil  red.  When  horses  of  other  colors,  and  that  are 
usually  pied,  have  a  white  iris  and  a  black  pupil,  they  are  said 
to  be  ivall-eyed.  Vulgar  opinion  has  decided  that  a  wall-eyed 
horse  is  never  subject  to  blindness,  but  this  is  altogether  erroneous. 

The  aperture  in  the  iris  is  termed  the  'pupil,  and  through  it 
light  passes  to  the  inner  chamber  of  the  eye.  The  pupil  is  ob- 
long, and  variable  in  size.  It  differs  with  the  intensity  or  de- 
gree of  light  that  falls  upon  the  eye. 

This  alteration  of  form  in  the  pupil  is  effected  by  the  muscu- 
lar fibres  that  enter  into  the  composition  of  the  iris.  When 
these  fibres  are  relaxed,  the  pupil  must  proportionably  diminish. 

This  dilatation  or  contraction  of  the  pupil  gives  a  useful  method 
of  ascertaining  the  existence  of  blindness  in  one  eye  or  in  both. 
The  cornea  and  crystalline  lens  remain  perfectly  transparent,  but 
the  retina  is  palsied,  and  is  not  affected  by  light ;  and  many 
persons  have  been  deceived  when  blindness  of  this  description 
has  been  confined  to  one  eye.  A  horse  blind  in  both  eyes  will 
usually  have  his  ears  in  constant  and  rapid  motion,  directing 
them  in  quick  succession  to  every  quarter.  He  M'ill  likcAvisc 
hang  back  in  his  halter  in  a  peculiar  way,  and  will  lift  his  feet 
high  as  if  he  were  stepping  over  some  obstacle,  when  there  is 
actually  nothing  to  obstruct  his  passage,  and  there  will  be  an 
evident  uncertainty  in  the  putting  down  of  his  feet.  In  blind- 
ness of  one  eye,  little  or  nothing  of  this  characteristic  gait  and 
manner  can  be  perceived.  Although  a  one-eyed  horse  may  not 
be  absolutely  condemned  for  the  common  business  of  the  car- 
nage or  the  road,  he  is  generally  deteriorated  as  a  hunter,  for  he 
cannot  measure  his  distance,  and  will  run  into  his  leaps. 

Let  the  size  of  both  pupils  be  carefully  noticed  before  the 
\orse  is  removed  from  the  stable,  and,  as  he  is  led  to  the  door, 
observe  whether  they  both  contract,  and  equally  so,  with  the 
increase  of  light.  If  the  horse  should  be  first  seen  in  the  o])e;i 
air,  let  it  be  observed  whether  the  pupils  are  precisely  of  the  same 


THE    EYE.  65 

size  ;  then  let  the  hand  be  placed  over  each  eye  alternately  and 
held  there  for  a  little  while,  and  let  it  be  observed  whetlier  the 
pupil  dilates  with  the  abstraction  of  light,  and  equally  in  each 
eye. 

In  our  cut,  m  gives  a  duplicature  of  the  iris,  or  the  back  sur- 
face of  it.  This  is  called  the  uvea,  and  it  is  covered  with  a 
thick  coat  of  black  mucus,  to  arrest  the  rays  of  light,  and  to 
prevent  them  from  entering  the  eye  in  any  other  way  than 
through  the  pupil.  The  color  of  the  iris  is,  in  some  unknown 
way,  comiected  with  this  black  paint  behind.  Wall-eyed  horses, 
whose  iris  is  white,  have  no  uvea. 

We  now  arrive  at  a  body  on  which  all  the  important  uses  of 
the  eye  mainly  depend,  the  cnjstaUme  lens,  g,  so  called  from  its 
resemblance  to  a  piece  of  crystal,  or  transparent  glass.  It  is  of 
a  yielding  jelly-like  consistence,  thicker  and  firmer  towards  the 
centre,  and  convex  on  each  side,  but  more  convex  on  the  inner 
than  the  outer  side.  It  is  enclosed  in  a  delicate  transparent  bag 
or  capsule,  and  is  placed  between  the  aqueous  and  the  vitreous 
humors,  and  received  into  a  hollow  in  the  vitreous  humor, 
with  which  it  exactly  corresponds.  It  has,  from  its  density  and 
its  double  convexity,  the  chief  concern  in  converging  the  rays  of 
hght  which  pass  into  the  pupil. 

The  lens  it  very  apt  to  be  affected  from  long  or  violent  inflam- 
mation of  the  conjunctiva,  and  either  its  capsule  becomes  cloudy, 
and  imperfectly  transmits  the  light,  or  the  substance  of  the  lens 
becomes  opaque.  The  examination  of  the  horse,  with  a  view 
to  detect  this,  must  either  be  in  the  shade,  or  at  a  stable  door, 
where  the  light  shall  fall  on  the  animal  from  above  and  in  front ; 
and  in  conducting  this  examination,  we  would  once  more  cau- 
tion the  intended  purchaser  against  a  superfluity  of  white  about 
his  neck.  Holding  the  head  of  the  animal  a  little  up,  and  the 
light  coming  in  the  direction  that  has  been  described,  the  con- 
dition of  the  lens  vidll  at  once  be  evident.  The  confirmed  cata- 
ract, or  the  opaque  lens  of  long  standing,  will  exhibit  a  jjearly 
appearance,  that  cannot  be  mistaken,  and  will  frequently  be 
attended  with  a  change  of  form — a  portion  of  the  lens  being 
forced  forwards  into  the  pupil.  Although  the  disease  may  not 
have  proceeded  so  far  as  this,  yet  if  there  is  the  slightest  cloudi- 
ness of  the  lens,  either  generally,  or  in  the  form  of  a  minute 
spot  in  the  centre,  and  with  or  without  lines  radiating  from  that 
spot,  the  horse  is  to  be  condemned  ;  for,  in  ninety-nine  cases  out 
of  a  hundred,  the  disease  will  proceed,  and  cataract,  or  complete 
opacity  of  the  lens,  and  absolute  blindness,  will  be  the  result. 

Behind  the  lens,  and  occupying  four  fifths  of  the  cavity  of  the 
eye,  is  the  vitreous  himior  (glassy,  or  resembling  glass).  It 
seems,  when  first  taken  from  the  eye,  to  be  of  the  consistence  of 
5 


66 


THE    EYE. 


a  jelly,  and  of  beautiful  transparency  ;  but  if  it  is  punctured  a 
fluid  escapes  from  it  as  limpid  and  as  thin  as  water,  and  when 
this  has  been  suffered  completely  to  ooze  out,  a  mass  of  membra- 
neous bags  or  cells  remains. 

Last  of  all,  between  the  vitreous  humor  and  the  choroid  coat, 
is  the  retina,  o,  or  net-like  membrane.  It  is  an  expansion  of  the 
substance,  g,  of  the  optic  nerve. 

On  this  expansion  of  nervous  pulp,  the  rays  of  light  from  sur- 
rounding objects,  condensed  by  the  lens  and  the  humors,  fall,  and, 
producing  a  certain  image  corresponding  with  these  objects,  the 
animal  is  conscious  of  their  existence  and  presence. 

It  may,  however,  so  happen  that  from  the  too  great  or  too  little 
convexity  of  the  eye  or  a  portion  of  it,  the  place  of  most  distinct 
rision  may  not  be  immediately  on  the  retina,  but  a  little  before 
or  behind  it.  In  proportion  as  this  is  the  case,  the  sight  will  be 
indistinct  and  imperiect ;  nor  shall  we  be  able  to  offer  any  remedy 
for  this  defect  of  sight.  It  is  this  chat  occasions  shying  in  the  horse, 
and  as  he  grows  older  and  the  eye  becomes  less  convex,  the  habit  of 
shying  will  increase. 

Nature  has  given  seven  muscles  to  the  horse  to  enable  him  to 
turn  his  eye,  so  that  he  can  command  the  whole  of  that  extended 
field  of  view  which  the  position  of  the  organ  enables  it  to  take 
in.  And  that  they  may  act  with  sufficient  power  and  quickness, 
no  fewer  than  ^ix  nerves  are  directed  to  the  muscles  of  the  eye 
generally,  or  t'>  particular  ones — while  the  eye  rests  on  a  mass  of 
fat,  that  it  may  be  turned  with  little  exertion  of  power,  and 
without  friction. 


Muscles  of  the  Eye 

There  are  four 
straight  muscles,  three 
of  which,  d,  e,  and  /, 
are  represented  in  our 
cut,  rising  from  the 
back  of  the  orbit,  and 
inserted  into  the  ball 
of  the  eye,  opposite  to, 
and  at  equal  distances 
from,  each  other.  One. 
d,  runs  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  eye,  just 
behind  the  transparent  and  visible  portion  of  it,  and  its  office  is 
clearly  to  raise  the  eye.  When  it  contracts,  the  eye  must  be 
drawn  upwards.  Another,  /,  is  inserted  exactly  opposite,  at  the 
bottom  of  the  eye  ;  and  its  office  is  as  clearly  to  depress  the  eye. 


TIIE    EYE.  G7 

or  enable  the  animal  to  look  downwards,  A  third,  e,  is  insert'^jd 
at  the  outer  corner,  and  by  means  of  it  the  eye  is  turned  outwaid, 
and,  from  the  situation  of  the  eye  of  the  horse,  considerably  back- 
ward ;  and  the  fourth  is  inserted  at  the  inner  corner,  turning  the 
eye  inward.  They  can  thus  rotate  or  turn  the  eye  in  any  direc- 
tion the  animal  mshes,  and  by  the  action  of  one,  or  the  combined 
power  of  any  two  of  them,  the  eye  can  be  immediately  and  ac- 
curately directed  to  every  point. 

These  muscles  also  assist  to  support  the  eye  in  its  place.  They 
are  aided  in  this,  especially  when  the  head  is  depressed,  by  the 
retractor  (drawer  back)  muscle,  g,  which  has  already  been  al- 
luded to.  The  power  of  this  muscle  is  veiy  great,  and  it  renders 
some  operations  on  the  eye  almost  impossible.  It  is  an  admirable 
substitute  for  hands  to  defend  the  eye  from  many  things  that 
would  injure  it.  Being  partially  separated  into  four  divisions,  it 
assists  the  straight  muscles  in  turning  the  eye. 

The  muscles  we  have  described,  perform  another  important 
office.  By  drawing  back  the  eye,  and  slightly  flattening  it,  they 
bring  the  lens  nearer  the  retina,  and  adapt  the  eye  to  the  obser 
vation  of  more  distant  objects.  There  are  two  other  muscles, 
used  solely  in  turning  the  eye,  called  oblique  muscles,  because 
their  course  is  obliquely  across  the  eye.  The  upper  one,  a,  b,  is 
most  curiously  constructed.  It  comes  from  the  back  part  of  the 
orbit,  and  takes  a  direction  upwards  and  towards  the  inner  side, 
and  there,  just  under  the  ridge  of  the  orbit,  it  passes  through  a 
perfect  mechanical  pulley,  and,  turning  round,  proceeds  across  the 
eye,  and  is  inserted  rather  beyond  the  middle  of  the  eye,  towards 
the  outer  side.  Thus  the  globe  of  the  eye  is  evidently  directed 
inward  and  upward.  Something  more,  however,  is  accomplished 
by  this  singular  mechanism.  When  it  is  necessar}''  to  bring  the 
eye  forward  in  its  socket,  to  enlarge  the  field  of  vision,  the  object 
is  readily  effected  by  this  singular  pulley,  b,  c.  By  the  powder  of 
this  muscle — the  trochlearis,  or  pulley-muscle — and  the  straight 
muscles  at  the  same  time  not  opposing  it,  or  only  regulating  the 
direction  of  the  eye,  it  is  really  brought  somewhat  forward.  The 
lower  oblique  muscle  rises  just  within  the  lachrymal  bone  (z,  Fig. 
2),  and,  proceeding  across  the  eye,  is  fixed  mto  the  part  of  the 
sclerotica  opposite  to  the  other  obhque  muscle,  and  it  turns  the 
eye  in  a  contrary  direction,  assisting,  however,  the  upper  oblique 
Ip  bringing  the  eye  forward  from  its  socket. 


CHAPTER  III. 


INJURIES     AND     DISEASES    OF     THE     SKULL THE     BRAIN THE 

EARS AND  THE  EYES. 

We  have  now  arrived  at  a  convenient  resting--place  in  our 
somewhat  dry  but  necessary  description  of  the  structure  of  the 
horse,  and  we  wilUngly  turn  to  more  practical  matter.  We  will 
consider  the  injuries  and  diseases  of  the  parts  we  have  surveyed. 


FRACTURE. 

The  skull  of  the  horse  is  so  strongly  and  admirably  con- 
structed, that  a  fracture  of  it  is  almost  impossible.  A  blow  of 
sufficient  violence  to  break  these  bones,  must  likewise  irrepara- 
bly injure  the  brain,  and  remedies  are  out  of  the  question. 

The  upper  part  of  the  orbit  of  the  eye  is  sometimes  fractured 
by  falling,  or  by  violent  blows.  The  slightest  examination  will 
detect  the  loosened  pieces ;  but  a  professional  man  alone  can 
render  effectual  assistance. 


EXOSTOSIS. 

Bony  enlargements  of  the  orbital  arch  sometimes  arise  from 
natural  predisposition  or  local  injury.  They  should  be  attacked 
m  the  earliest  stage,  for  they  are  too  apt  rapidly  to  increase. 
Some  preparation  of  iodine,  as  described  in  the  account  of  medi- 
cines, will  be  useful  in  this  case. 


CARIES. 

Inflammation  and  enlargement  of  the  injured  bones,  followed 
by  abscess  and  the  production  of  certain  bony  growths,  are  of 
occasional  occurrence.  A  skilful  practitioner  can  alone  decide 
whether  a  cure  should  be  attempted,  or  the  sufferings  of  the  ani 
mal  terminated  by  death 


DISEASES    OF    THE    BRAIN.  ijj 


COMPRESSION  OF  THE  BRAIN. 

Cysts  containing  a  serous  or  viscid  fluid,  are  occasionally  Ibund 
witliin  the  cranial  cavity,  and  lying  upon  or  imbedded  in  the 
brain.  The  following  is  a  history  of  a  case  of  this  kind  : — A 
horse  exhibited  symptoms  of  vertigo,  or  staggers,  which  disap- 
peared after  copious  bleeding  and  purgatives.  About  twelve 
months  afterwards  the  same  complaint  was  evident.  He  carried 
his  head  low  and  inclined  to  the  right  side.  He  staggered  as  he 
walked,  and  the  motion  of  his  limbs  was  marked  by  a  peculiar 
convulsive  action,  confined  to  the  four  extremities.  He  moved 
by  a  succession  of  spasmodic  boundings.  He  was  completely 
deaf ;  and  rapidly  lost  flesh,  though  he  ate  and  drank  voraciously. 
He  remained  in  this  state,  to  the  shame  of  the  owner  and  the 
practitioner,  several  months,  and  then  he  had  a  fresh  attack  of 
vertigo,  and  died  suddenly.  On  examination  of  the  brain,  its 
membranes  were  found  to  be  completely  reddened  ;  and,  between 
the  two  lobes  of  the  brain,  was  a  round  cyst  as  large  as  a  pullet's 
egg.  The  pressure  of  this  was  the  manifest  cause  of  the  raiis- 
chief. 

PRESSURE  ON  THE  BRAIN. 

This  may  be  produced  by  some  fluid  thrown  out  between  the 
membranes,  or  occupying  and  distending  the  ventricles  of  the 
brain.  In  the  full-grown  horse  it  rarely  occurs  ;  but  it  is  well 
known  to  breeders  as  an  occasional  disease  of  the  foal,  under  the 
name  of  "water  in  the  head."  The  head  is  either  much  en- 
larged, or  stangely  deformed,  or  both  ;  and  the  animal  dies,  eithci 
in  the  birth,  or  a  few  days  after  it. 

MEGRBIS. 

This  is  another  kind  of  pressure  on  the  brain,  resulting  from 
an  unusual  determination  or  flow  of  blood  to  it.  From  various 
causes,  of  which  the  most  common  is  violent  exercise  on  a  hot 
day,  and  the  horse  being  fat  and  full  of  blood,  more  than  the 
usual  quantity  is  sent  to  the  head  ;  or,  from  some  negligence 
about  the  harness — as  the  collar  being  too  small,  or  the  curb- 
rein  too  tight — the  blood  is  prevented  from  returning  from  the 
head.  The  larger  vessels  of  the  brain  will  then  be  too  long  and 
injuriously  distended  ;  and,  what  is  of  more  consequence,  the 
small  vessels  that  permeate  the  substance  of  the  brain  will  be 
enlarged,  and  the  bulk  of  the  brain  increased,  so  that  it  will 
press  upon  the  origins  of  the  nerves,  and  produce,  almost  without 
warning,  loss  of  power  and  consciousness 


70  MEGRIMS — APOPLEXY. 

The  mildest  afTection  of  this  kind  is  known  as  Megnms 
When  the  horse  is  driven  rather  quickly,  he  will,  without  any 
premonitory  symptoms,  suddenly  stop,  shake  his  head,  and  exhibit 
evident  giddiness  and  half-unconsciousness.  This  will  soon  pass 
over,  and  he  will  go  on  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

When  the  attack  is  more  serious,  he  will  fall  without  the 
slightest  warning,  or  suddenly  run  round  once  or  twice  and  then 
fall.  He  will  lie  insensible,  or  struggle  with  the  utmost  vio- 
lence. In  five  or  ten  minutes  he  will  begin  gradually  to  come 
to  himself;  he  will  get  up  and  proceed  on  his  journey,  yet  some- 
what dull,  and  evidently  affected  and  exhausted  by  what  had 
happened,  although  not  seriously  or  permanently  ill. 

At  the  moment  of  attack,  three  or  four  quarts  of  blood  should 
be  taken  from  the  neck- vein,  or  the  bars  of  the  palate  should  bo 
cut,  in  the  manner  hereafter  described.  The  driver  should  treat 
him  soothingly,  loosen  the  curb-rein,  ease  the  collar  if  practicable 
and  drive  slowly  the  rest  of  his  journey.  When  he  gets  home,  a 
dose  of  physic  should  be  administered  if  the  horse  can  be  spared, 
the  quantity  of  dry  food  lessened,  and  mashes  given  or  green  food, 
or  he  should  have  a  run  at  grass.  A  predisposition  to  a  second 
attack  almost  always  remains,  and  it  is  a  long  time  before  the 
blood-vessels  recover  their  former  tone.  Experience  has  shown 
that  a  horse  that  has  had  a  second  attack  of  the  megrims  is 
never  to  be  trusted.^ 

APOPLEXY. 

Megrims  is  Apoplexy  under  its  mildest  form.  In  the  latter 
affection,  the  determination  of  blood,  if  not  so  sudden,  is  greater, 
or  differently  directed,  or  more  lasting.  It  is  seldom,  however, 
that  there  are  not  timely  warnings  of  its  approach,  if  the  carter 
or  the  groom  had  wit  enough  to  observe  them.  The  horse  is  a 
little   off  his  feed — he  is  more   than   usually  dull — there  is  a 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — Mi*.  Spooner  speaks  of  a  species  of  the  disease 
the  symptoms  of  which  border  on  epilepsy,  and  appear  to  arise  from  dis- 
ordered functions  of  the  brain.     He  says : — 

We  have  known  some  horses  more  liable  to  this  disease  in  very  cold 
frosty  weather;  in  such  instances  the  symptoms  have  been  those  of  giddi- 
ness, without  the  severity  of  ordinary  megrims ;  the  animal  has  reeled, 
however,  like  a  drunken  man,  and  been  extremely  dangerous  both  to  ride 
and  drive.  We  have  known  an  old  horse  thus  continue  almost  useless 
tliroughout  the  winter,  and  gradually  shake  off  the  disease  as  warm  weather 
came  on.  Now,  it  must  be  evident  that  the  exciting  causes  ^  such  instances 
must  be  altogether  different  from  that  of  ordinary  megrims ;  and,  whilst 
the  bleeding  and  purging  are  very  proper,  as  recommended  in  the  text 
for  ordinary  megrims,  arising  from  plethora,  it  is  not  to  be  advised  for  that 
variety  of  disease  to  which  we  have  called  attention,  and  which  is  rather 
to  b  J  beuefited  bv  warmth,  good  groomhig,  and  tonic  mediciua 


APOPLEXY  7 1 

d«^grree  of  stupidity  about  him,  and,  generally,  a  somewhat  stag- 
gering gait.  This  goes  off  when  he  has  been  out  a  little  while, 
but  it  soon  returns  under  a  more  decided  character,  until,  at 
length,  it  forces  itself  on  the  attention  of  the  most  careless. 

The  actual  illness  is  perhaps  first  recognized  by  the  horse 
standing  with  his  head  depressed.  It  bears  upon,  or  is  forced 
against  the  manger  or  the  wall,  and  a  considerable  part  of  the 
weight  of  the  animal  is  evidently  supported  by  this  pressure  of 
the  head.  As  he  thus  stands,  he  is  balancing  himself  from  one 
side  to  the  other  as  if  he  were  ready  to  fall ;  and  it  is  often  dan- 
gerous to  stand  near  to  him,  or  to  move  him,  for  he  falls  without 
warning.  If  he  can  get  his  muzzle  into  a  corner,  he  will  some- 
times continue  there  motionless  ibr  a  considerable  time,  and  then 
drop  as  if  he  were  shot ;  but,  the  next  moment,  he  is  up  again, 
with  his  feet  almost  in  the  rack.  He  sleeps  or  seems  to  do  so  as 
he  stands,  or  at  least  he  is  nearly  or  quite  unconscious  of  sur- 
roundmg  objects.  When  he  is  roused,  he  looks  vacantly  around 
him.  Perhaps  he  will  take  a  lock  of  hay  if  it  is  offered  to  him  , 
but  ere  it  is  half  masticated,  the  eye  closes,  and  he  sleeps  again 
with  the  food  in  his  mouth.  Soon  afterwards  he  is,  perhaps, 
roused  once  more.  The  eye  opens,  but  it  has  an  unmeaning 
glare.  The  hand  is  moved  before  him,  but  the  eye  closes  not , 
he  is  spoken  to,  but  he  hears  not.  The  last  act  of  voluntary  mo- 
tion which  he  vidll  attempt  is  usually  to  drink  ;  but  he  has  little 
power  over  the  muscles  of  deglutition  (swallowing),  and  the  fluid 
returns  through  the  nostrils. 

He  now  begins  to  foam  at  the  mouth.  His  breathing  is  labo- 
rious and  loud.  It  is  performed  by  the  influence  of  the  organic 
nerves, arid  those  of  animal  life  no  longer  lend  their  aid.  The 
pulse  is  slow  and  oppressed — the  jugular  vein  is  distended  almost 
to  bursting — the  muzzle  is  cold,  and  the  discharge  of  the  faeces 
involuntary.  He  grinds  his  teeth — twitchings  steal  over  his 
face  and  attack  his  hmbs — they  sometimes  proceed  to  convul- 
sions, and  dreadful  ones,  too,  in  which  the  horse  beats  himself 
about  in  a  terrible  manner ;  but  there  is  rarely  disposition  to  do 
mischief.  In  the  greater  number  of  cases  these  convulsions  last 
not  long.  All  the  powers  of  life  are  oppressed,  and  death  speed 
ily  closes  the  scene. 

Post-mortem  examination  usually  shows  the  whole  venous  sys- 
tem in  a  state  of  congestion,  and  the  vessels  of  the  brain,  par- 
ticularly, turgid  with  black  blood.  Occasionally,  however,  there 
IS  no  inflammation  of  the  brain  or  its  membranes  ;  but  either 
the  stomach  contains  a  more  than  usual  quantity  of  food,  or  the. 
larirer  intestines  are  loaded  with  foul  matter. 

Apoplexy  is  a  determination  of  blood  to  the  head,  and  tho 
3'iuse  is  the  over-condition  of  the  animal,  and  too  great  fulness 


72  APOPLEXY. 

of  blood.  >  It  used  to  be  much  more  common,  when  it  was  cus 
tomary  to  keep  horses  exceedmgly  fat,  overwork  them,  and  then 
sufler  them  to  eat  voraciously  miti]  their  stomachs  were  preter- 
aaturally  distended.  The  farmer  used  to  keep  his  horses  at  the 
plough  six  or  eight  hours,  then  suffer  them  to  overgorge  them- 
selves at  will.  The  consequence  was,  that  the  farmer's  horse 
was  notoriously  subject  to  fits  of  heaviness  and  sleepiness — to 
staggers,  or  half-attacks  of  staggers.  And  from  the  frequent 
pressure  on  the  optic  nerve  and  other  parts,  caused  by  oppres- 
sion of  the  brain,  they  frequently  became  blind ,  A  better  divi- 
6</on  of  labor,  with  properly  distributed  intervals  for  rest  and 
leeding,  have,  comparatively  speaking,  banished  deejnj  staggers. 

Old  horses  are  more  subject  to  staggers  than  young  ones,  their 
btomachs  and  digestive  functions  having  been  weakened  by  re- 
peated abuses. 

Hard-worked,  and  half-starved  animals  on  being  turned  into 
rich  pastures,  are  sometimes  attacked.  If  the  weather  is  hot, 
tne  sympathy  of  the  brain  with  the  undue  labor  of  the  stomach 
is  more  easily  excited,  and  a  determination  of  blood  to  the  brain 
more  readily  effected. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  appearance  of  the  horse  which  will 
lead  to  a  discovery  of  the  cause  of  staggers — no  yellowness  nor 
twitchings  of  the  skin,  no  local  swellings,  as  some  have  de- 
scribed ;  but  the  practitioner  or  owner  must  get  at  the  truth  of 
the  matter  as  well  as  he  can,  and  proceed  accordingly. 

As  to  the  TREATMENT  of  staggcrs,  whatever  be  the  cause  of 
the  disease,  bleeding  is  the  first  measure  indicated — the  over 
loaded  vessels  of  the  brain  must  be  relieved.  The  jugular  vein 
should  be  immediately  opened.  It  is  easily  got  at — it  is  large — 
the  blood  may  be  drawn  from  it  in  a  full  stream,  and,  being  also 
the  vessel  through  which  the  blood  is  returned  from  the  head, 
the  greater  part  of  the  quantity  obtained  will  be  taken  immedi- 
ately from  the  overloaded  organ,  and  therefore  will  be  most 
likely  to  produce  the  desired  effect  No  definite  quantity  of 
blood  should  be  ordered  to  be  abstracted.  The  effect  produced 
must  be  the  guide,  and  the  bleeding  must  be  continued  until  the 
horse  falters,  or  begins  to  blow — or,  perhaps,  with  more  assured 
Fiiccess,  until  he  falls.  Some  persons  select  the  temporal  artery. 
This  is  very  unscientific  practice.  It  is  difficult,  or  impossible, 
to  obtain  from  this  vessel  a  stream  that  promises  any  decisive 
success.  It  is  likewise  difficult  to  stop  the  bleeding  from  this 
artery  ;  and,  after  all,  the  blood  is  not  drawn  from  the  actual 
seat  of  the  disease — the  brain. 

The  second  step  is  to  ascertain  what  is  the  cause  of  the  apo- 
plexy. If  produced  by  over-distention  of  the  stomach,  cathar 
tics  are  of  little  avail.     Recourse  should  be  had  to  the  stomach 


APOPLEXY.  73 

pfwip  {one  of  the  most  valuable  discoveries  of  modern  times),  and 
iujectioiis  of  warm  water.  The  latter  may  be  continued  not 
only  until  the  contents  of  the  stomach  are  so  lar  diluted  as  to 
escape  by  the  anus,  but  until  the  obstruction  to  vomiting  offered 
by  the  contracted  entrance  of  the  stomach  is  overcome,  and  a 
portion  of  the  food  is  returned  through  the  nostrils  or  mouth. 

This  being  effected,  or  it  having  been  ascertained  that  there 
was  no  extreme  distention  of  the  stomach,  recourse  should  be 
had  to  aloes,  and  from  eight  to  twelve  drachms  of  it  may  be  ad- 
ministered. It  will  be  proper  to  add  some  stimulating  medicine 
to  the  aloes,  with  a  view  of  restoring  the  tone  of  the  stomach, 
and  inducing  it  to  contract  on  its  contents.  Gentian  and  ginger 
are  most  likely  to  effect  this  purpose. 

The  after-treatment  must  be  regulated  by  circumstances.  For 
some  time  the  horse  should  be  put  on  a  restricted  diet ;  mashes 
should  be  given ;  green  food  in  no  great  quantity  ;  a  moderate 
allowance  of  hay,  and  very  little  grain.  When  sufficiently  re- 
covered, he  may  be  turned  out  with  advantaire  on  rather  bare 
pasture.  One  circumstance,  however,  should  never  be  forgotten 
— that  the  horse  who  has  once  been  attacked  with  staggers  is 
liable  to  a  return  of  the  complaint  from  causes  that  otherwise 
would  not  affect  him.  The  distended  vessels  are  weakened — 
the  constitution  is  weakened,  and  prudence  would  dictate  that 
such  an  animal  cannot  be  too  soon  disjiosed  of. 

Let  no  one  delude  himself  with  the  idea  that  apoplexy  is  con- 
tagious. It  is  so  under  no  circumstances,  though  the  same  kind 
of  mismanagement  may  produce  repeated  cases  of  it  nearly  at 
the  same  time,  and  in  the  same  establishment.* 

"  JS^ote  by  Mr.  Spooner. — With  regard  to  those  diseases  which  come  under 
the  denomination  of  staggers,  we  have,  certainly,  three  varieties,  though 
neither  of  them  are  so  prevalent  as  they  were  formerly. 

Mad  staggers  is  undoubtedly  inflammation  of  the  brain,  and  is  charac- 
terized by  those  symptoms  of  extreme  violence  spoken  of  in  the  text. 
These  symptoms  may  be  preceded  by  the  sleepy  stage,  or  may  occur  with- 
out it.  In  sleepy  staggers,  as  it  used  to  be  called,  one  of  the  most  striking 
symptoms  is  a  disposition  to  thrust  the  head  forwards,  and  it  is  surprishig 
with  Avhat  force  and  determination  this  will  be  done.  Thus  resting  his  head, 
the  horse  will  doze  for  hours.  Now,  there  are  certainly  two  diseases  pre- 
senting these  symptoms.  One,  which  has  been  denominated  stomach  stag- 
gers, arises  from  distention  of  the  viscus  with  food.  Such  is  the  sympathy 
between  the  stomach  and  the  brain,  that  distention  of  the  former  will  pro- 
duce very  similar  symptoms  to  that  when  the  brain  is  primarily  chseased. 
We  are,  however,  very  much  in  the  dark  as  to  whether  distention  of  the 
stomach  with  food  is  a  cause  or  an  effect;  that  is,  whether  it  is  caused  by 
indigestion  arising  from  a  want  of  tone  in  the  nervous  system,  or  whether 
distention  of  the  stomach  with  food  is  at  once  the  cause  of  all  the  other  symp- 
toms. 

Stomach  staggers  used  formerly  to  be  very  prevalent,  owing  to  the  causes 
Darned  in  the  text.     In  this  disease  there  is  a  very  great  disposition  tt- 


74  PHRENTTIS. 


PHRENITIS. 


Primary  inflammation  of  the  brain  or  its  membranes,  or  both, 
sometimes  occurs,  and  of  tlie  membranes  oftenest  when  both  are 
not  involved. 

The  early  symptoms  are  almost  precisely  those  of  apoplexy,| 
except  that  the  phrenetic  horse  is  not  quite  so  lethargic.  He 
sees  a  little  better,  will  shrink  more  from  the  whip,  and  the  dis-'i 
ease  runs  its  course  more  rapidly.  In  apoplexy,  from  distention 
of  the  stomach,  twenty-four  or  thirty-six  hours  will  elapse  before 
cure,  rupture  of  the  stomach,  or  the  destruction  of  the  horse.  If 
it  proceeds  merely  from  an  oppression  of  the  digestive  organs 
and  the  sympathy  which  subsists  between  the  stomach  and  brain, 
it  may.  run  on  for  two  or  three  days.  But  the  apoplexy  of  the 
phrenetic  horse  will  often  run  its  course  in  a  few  hours. 

In  a  case  of  evident  phrenitis,  blood-letting  and  physic  must  be 
early  carried  to  their  full  extent.  The  horse  will  often  be 
materially  relieved,  and,  perhaps,  cured  by  this  decisive  treat- 
ment ;  but,  if  the  golden  hour  has  been  suffered  to  pass,  or  if 
remedial  measures  have  become  inefiectual,  the  scene  all  at  once 
changes,  and  the  most  violent  reaction  succeeds.  The  eye 
brightens — strangely  so  ;  the  membrane  of  the  eye  becomes 
suddenly  reddened,  and  forms  a  frightful  contrast  with  the 
transparency  of  the  cornea ;  the  pupil  is  dilated  to  the  utmost ; 
the  nostril,  before  scarcely  moving,  expands  and  quivers,  and 
labors  ;  the  respiration  becomes  short  and  quick  ;  the  ears  are 

force  the  head  forwards,  the  pulse  is  slow  and  oppressed,  and  the  abdomen 
generally  distended,  the  bowels  costive,  and  the  dung  usually  slimy.  This 
distention  of  the  stomach  is  the  principal  distinction  between  this  affection 
of  the  stomach,  and  the  sleepy  staggers,  as  it  is  called,  which  is  primarily 
a  disease  of  the  brain.  In  this  latter  complaint,  however,  there  is  less  dis- 
position to  thrust  forward  the  head,  and  the  a!)domen  is  by  no  means  dis- 
tended. 

Sleepy  staggers  is  sometimes  suddenly  succeeded  by  mad  staggers  or 
inflammation  of  the  brain  ;  the  symptoms  of  which  are  sufficiently  detailed 
in  the  text.  It  is  important  to  distinguish  between  these  different  diseases, 
as  the  treatment  requires  considerable  modification. 

Mad  staggers,  the  symptoms  f)f  which  are  so  extremely  violent,  must  be 
met  by  the  active  bleedings  and  purgatives  recommended  in  the  text. 

I  would  not,  however,  recommend  the  same  active  blood-letting  for  the 
stomach  or  the  sleepy  staggers,  as  in  these  diseases  there  ap]iears  a  want 
of  that  nervous  energy  and  excitation  which  abounds  so  nmch  in  tlie  mad 
staggers,  and  which  blood-letting  is  calculated  to  depress.  In  the  stomach 
disease,  oily  purgatives  and  clysters,  assisted  by  plenty  of  diluents,  are 
called  for;  and,  in  those  cases  where  lethargy  anddebihty  are  present, 
tonics  and  mild  stimulants  are  to  be  recommended. 

I  have  never  observed  any  connection  to  exist  between  staggers  and 
amaurosis ;  the  latter,  it  is  true,  may  be  caused  by  indigestion,  but  I  have 
never  met  with  an  instance  of  its  being  produced  by  staggers. 


PHELINITIS.  75 

erect,  or  bent  forward  to  catch  the  slightest  sound  ;  and  the 
horse,  becoming  more  irritable  every  instant,  trembles  at  the 
slightest  motion.  The  irritability  oi"  the  patient  increases — it 
may  be  said  to  change  to  ferocity — but  the  animal  has  no  aim 
or  object  in  what  he  does.  He  dashes  himself  violently  about, 
plunges  in  every  direction,  rears  on  his  hind-legs,  whirls  round 
and  round,  and  then  falls  backward  with  dreadful  force.  He  lies 
for  a  while  exhausted — there  is  a  remission  of  the  symptoms, 
but  perhaps  only  for  a  minute  or  two,  or  possibly  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour. 

Ill  the  intervals  between  the  paroxysms,  one  or  both  jugulars 
should  be  opened ;  and  all  the  blood  abstracted  that  can  be  ob- 
tained. It  is  better  not  even  to  pin  up  the  vein  at  all.  The 
patient  will  never  thus  be  lost,  and  it  is  indispensable  to 
promptly  relieve  the  brain  and  reduce  the  inflammation.  Physic 
should  be  administered,  and  that  which  will  most  speedily  act. 
The  farina  of  the  Crotoii  nut  will,  perhaps,  have  the  prefer- 
ence. Half  a  drachm  or  two  scruples  of  it  may  be  fearlessly 
administered.  This  medicine  can  be  administered  in  the  form 
of  a  little  ball,  or  in  drink,  by  means  of  the  probang,  or  a 
stick,  or  the  horn.  Sometimes  the  phrenetic  horse  will  drink 
with  avidity,  and  thus  repeated  doses  of  purgative  medicine  may 
be  given,  and  they  should  be  continued  until  the  bowels  respond 
The  forehead  should  be  blistered,  if  it  can  in  any  way  be  ac- 
complished ;  yet  but  little  service  is  to  be  expected  from  this 
manipulation.  The  bowels  having  been  well  opened,  digitalis 
should  be  administered.  Its  first  and  most  powerful  action  is  on 
the  heart,  diminishing  both  the  num.ber  and  strength  of  its 
pulsations.  To  this  may  be  added  emetic  tartar  and  nitre,  but 
not  a  particle  of  hellebore  ;  for  that  drug,  if  it  acts  at  all,  pro- 
duces an  increased  determination  of  blood  to  the  brain. 

The  second  paroxysm  is  more  dreadful  than  the  first.  Again 
the  animal  whirls  round  and  round,  and  plunges  and  falls.  He 
seizes  his  clothing  and  rends  it  in  pieces ;  perhaps,  destitute  of 
feeling  and  of  consciousness,  he  bites  and  tears  himself  He 
darts  furiously  at  everything  within  his  reach ;  but  no  mind,  no 
design,  seems  to  mingle  with  or  govern  his  fury.  These  attacks 
and  remissions  follow  for  an  uncertain  period,  until  he  becomes 
unable  to  rise.  He  pants — he  foams — at  length,  completely 
exhausted,  he  dies. 

While  the  disease  continues,  no  attempt  must  be  made  to 
induce  the  horse  to  feed  ;  and  even  when  appetite  returns  with 
the  abatement  of  inflammation,  great  caution  must  be  exercised 
both  with  regard  to  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  food. 

The  post-mortem  appearances  are  altogether  uncertain.  There 
is  usually  very  gre;  t  injection  and  inflammation  of  the  meim 


76  RAiJIES. 

branes  of  the  brain,  and  even  of  portions  of  the  substance  oi 
the  brain ;  but  in  other  cases  there  is  scarcely  any  trace  of 
inflammation,  or  even  of  increased  vascularity. 

Phr(Uiitis  may  be  confounded  with  cholic  and  rabies.  In  cholic, 
the  horse  rises,  falls,  and  kicks  at  his  belly,  but  there  is  no  in- 
voluntary spasm  of  any  of  the  limbs,  and  he  is  iierfectly  sensible 
He  looks  piteously  at  his  flanks,  and  the  expression  of  his  anxious 
countenance  is  altogether  difierent  from  the  fearfully  excited  one 
of  the  phrenetic  horse.  His  pulse  is  also  comparatively  quiet, 
and  his  struggles  and  violence  are  tame  in  comparison  with 
those  of  the  other. 

In  rabies,  there  is  even  more  violence  than  in  phrenitis,  but 
the  horse  is  perfectly  conscious,  recognizes  those  about  him,  and 
seemingly  exhibits  more  than  his  ordinary  intelligence  in  his 
attempts  to  do  mischief. 


RABIES,   OR  MADNESS. 

This  is  another  and  fearful  disease  of  the  nervous  system.  It 
results  from  the  bite  of  a  rabid  animal,  and,  most  com.monly, 
of  the  companion  and  friend  of  the  horse — the  coach-dog. 

The  early  symptoms  of  rabies  in  the  horse  have  not  been 
carefully  observed  or  well  recorded ;  but,  in  the  majority  of 
cases,  so  far  as  our  records  go,  there  will  not  often  be  premoni- 
tory symptoms  sufficiently  decisive  to  be  noticed  by  the  groom. 

The  horse  goes  out  to  his  usual  work,  and,  for  a  certain  time 
and  distance,  performs  it  as  well  as  he  had  been  accustomed  to 
do  ;  then  he  stops  all  at  once — trembles,  heaves,  paws,  staggers, 
and  falls.  Almost  immediately  he  rises,  drags  his  load' a  little 
farther,  and  again  stops,  looks  about  him,  backs,  staggers,  and 
falls  once  m.ore.  This  is  not  a  fit  of  megrims — it  is  not  a  sudden 
determination  of  blood  to  the  brain,  for  the  horse  is  not  for  a 
single  moment  insensible.  The  sooner  he  is  led  home  the  better, 
for  the  progress  of  the  disease  is  as  rapid  as  the  first  attack  is 
sudden ;  and,  possibly,  he  will  fall  twice  or  thrice  before  he 
reaches  his  stable. 

In  the  great  majority  of  cases — or  rather,  with  very  few  ex- 
ceptions— a  state  of  excitation  ensues,  which  is  not  exceeded  by 
that  of  the  dog  under  the  most  fearful  form  of  the  malady  ;  but 
there  are  intervals  when,  if  he  had  been  naturally  good-tem- 
pered and  had  been  attached  to  his  rider  or  his  groom,  he  will 
recognize  his  former  friend  and  seek  his  caresses,  and  bend  on 
him  one  of  those  piteous,  searching  looks  which,  once  observed 
will  never  be  forgotten  :  but  there  is  danger  about  this.  Prf's 
ently  succeeds  another  paroxysm,  without  warning  and  witnou^ 


RABIES.  77 

jontrol ;  and  there  is  no  safety  for  h'm  who  had  previously  the 
most  complete  mastery  over  the  animal, 

I  attended  a  rabid  horse  which  the  twner  refused  to  have 
destroyed,  and  to  which  attendance  I  only  consented  on  condi- 
tion of  the  animal  being  slung.  He  had  been  bitten  in  the  near 
liind-leg.  When  I  approached  him  on  that  side,  he  did  not 
attempt  to  bite  me,  and  he  could  not  otherwise  injure  me ;  but 
he  was  agitated  and  trembled,  and  struggled  as  well  as  he 
could  ;  and  if  I  merely  touched  him  with  my  finger,  the  pulsa- 
tions were  quickened  full  ten  beats  in  a  minute.  When,  how- 
ever, I  went  round  to  the  off  side,  he  permitted  me  to  pat  him, 
and  I  had  to  encounter  his  imploring  gaze,  "and  his  head  was 
pressed  against  me — and  then  presently  would  come  the  par- 
oxysm ;  but  it  came  on  almost  before  I  could  touch  him,  when 
I  approached  him  on  the  other  side. 

These  mild  cases,  however,  are  exceptions  to  a  general  rule 

The  symptoms  of  the  malady,  of  Mr.  Moneyment's  pony 
rapidly  increased — he  bit  everything  within  his  reach,  even 
different  parts  of  his  own  body — he  breathed  laboriously — his 
tail  erect — screaming  dreadfully  at  short  intervals,  striking  the 
ground  with  his  fore-feet,  and  perspiring  most  profusely.  At 
length  he  broke  the  top  of  his  manger,  and  rushed  out  of  the 
stall  with  it  hanging  to  his  halter.  He  made  immediately 
tovv'ards  the  medical  attendant,  and  the  spectators  who  were 
standing  by.  They  fortunately  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  his 
way,  and  he  turned  in  the  next  stall,  and  dropped  and  died. 

A  young  veterinary  friend  of  mine  in  fool-hardily  attempting 
to  administer  a  ball  to  a  rabid  horse,  was  seized  by  the  hand, 
lifted  from  the  ground,  shaken  as  a  terrier  would  shake  a  rat,  and 
the  ferocious  animal  was  only  compelled  to  relinquish  his  hold 
when  attacked  with  pitchforks,  and  not  before  he  had  completely 
torn  the  flesh  from  the  hand. 

In  the  Museum  of  the  Veterinary  School  at  Alfort,  is  the  lower 
jaw  of  a  rabid  horse,  which  was  fractured  in  the  violent  efforts 
of  the  animal  to  do  mischief 

There  is  also  in  the  horse,  whose  attachment  to  his  owner  is 
often  comparatively  small,  a  degree  of  treachery  which  we  rarely 
meet  with  in  the  nobler  and  more  intellectual  dog. 

I  have  had  occasion  more  than  once  to  witness  the  evident  pain 
of  the  bitten  part,  and  the  manner  in  which  the  horse  in  the  in- 
tervals of  his  paroxysms  employs  himself  in  licking  or  gnawing 
the  cicatrix.  One  animal  had  been  bitten  in  the  chest,  and  he, 
not  in  the  intervals  between  the  exacerbation,  but  when  the  par- 
oxysm was  most  violent,  would  bite  and  tear  himself  until  his 
breast  was  shockingly  mangled,  and  the  blood  flowed  from  it  in 
a  stream. 


78  RABIES. 

The  most  interesting  and  satisfactory  symptom  is  the  evident 
dread  of  water  which  exists  in  the  decided  majority  of  cases,  and 
the  impossibility  of  swallowing  any  considerable  quantity. 

As  the  disease  progresses,  not  only  is  the  animal  rapidly  debili- 
tated, but  there* is  the  peculiar  staggering  gait  which  is  observable 
in  the  dog — referable  to  evident  loss  of  power  in  the  muscles  of 
he  lumbar  region.  Although  this  symptom  is  not  often  observed 
.n  the  dog,  it  is  a  satisfactory  identification  of  the  disease,  when 
it  is  so  frequently  seen  in  the  horse,  and  so  invariably  in  the  hu- 
man being. 

The  earliest  and  perhaps  the  most  decisive  symptom  of  the 
near  approach  of  rabies  in  the  horse,,  is  a  spasmodic  movement  of 
the  upper  lip,  particularly  of  the  angles  of  the  lip.  Close  follow- 
ing on  this,  or  contemporaneous  with  it,  is  the  depressed  and  anx- 
ious countenance,  and  inquiring  gaze,  suddenly  however  lighted 
up  and  becoming  fierce  and  menacing,  from  some  unknown  cause, 
or  at  the  approach  of  a  stranger.  From  time  to  time  different 
parts  of  the  frame — the  eyes — the  jaws — particular  limbs — will 
be  convulsed.  The  eye  will  occasionally  wander  after  some  im- 
aginary object,  and  the  horse  will  snap  again  and  again  at  that 
which  has  no  real  existence.  Then  will  come  the  irrepressible 
desire  to  bite  the  attendants  or  the  animals  within  its  reach.  To 
this  will  succeed  the  demolition  of  the  rack,  the  manger,  and  the 
whole  furniture  of  the  stable,  accompanied  by  the  peculiar  dread 
of  water  which  has  been  already  alluded  to. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  disease  there  is  generally  paralysis, 
usually  confined  to  the  loins  and  the  hinder  extremities,  or  involv- 
ing those  organs  which  derive  their  nervous  influence  from  this 
portion  of  the  spinal  cord ; — hence  the  distressing  tenesmus 
(ineffectual  attempt  to  stool)  which  is  occasionally  seen. 

The  disease  rarely  extends  beyond  the  third  day. 

After  death,  there  is  uniformly  found  inflammation  at  the  back 
part  of  the  mouth,  and  at  the  top  of  the  windpipe,  and  likewise 
in  the  stomach,  and  on  the  membrane  covering  the  lungs,  and 
where  the  spinal  marrow  first  issues  from  the  brain. 

When  the  disease  can  be  clearly  connected  with  a  previous 
bite,  the  sooner  the  animal  is  destroyed  the  better,  for  there  is  no 
cure.  If  the  symptoms  bear  considerable  resemblance  to  rabies, 
although  no  bite  is  suspected,  the  horse  should  at  least  be  slung, 
and  the  medicine,  if  any  is  administered,  given  in  the  form  of  a 
drink,  and  with  the  hand  well  protected  ;  for  if  it  should  be 
scratched  in  balling  the  horse,  or  the  skin  should  have  been  pre- 
viously broken,  the  saliva  of  the  animal  is  capable  of  communi 
eating  the  disease.  Several  farriers  have  lost  their  lives  from 
being  bitten  or  scratched  in  the  act  of  administering  medicine  to 
a  rabid  horse. 


LOCKED    JAW. 


79 


If  a  horse  is  bitten  by  a  dog  under  suspicious  circumstances,  he 
should  be  carefully  examined,  and  every  wound,  and  even  the 
slightest  scratch,  well  burned  with  the  lunar  caustic  (nitrate  of 
silver).  Tiie  scab  should  be  removed  and  the  operation  repeated 
on  the  third  day.  The  hot  iron  does  not  answer  so  well,  and 
other  caustics  are  not  so  manageable.  In  the  spring  of  1827, 
four  horses  were  bitten  near  Hyde  Park,  by  a  mad  dog.  To  one 
of  them  the  lunar  caustic  was  twice  severely  applied — he  lived. 
The  red-hot  iron  was  unsparingly  used  on  the  others,  and  they 
died.  The  caustic  must  reach  every  part  of  the  wound.  At  the 
expiration  of  the  fourth  month,  the  horse  may  be  considered  to 
be  safe. 


TETANUS,  OR  LOCKED  JAW. 

Tetanus  is  one  of  the  most  dreadful  and  fatal  diseases  to  which 
the  horse  is  subject.  It  is  called  locked  jaw,  because  the  mus- 
cles of  the  jaw  are  earliest  affected,  and  the  mouth  is  obstinately 
and  immovably  closed.  It  is  a  constant  spasm  of  all  the  volun- 
tary muscles,  and  particularly  of  those  of  the  neck,  the  spine,  and 
the  head.  It  is  generally  slow  and  treacherous  in  its  attack. 
The  horse,  for  a  day  or  two,  does  not  appear  to  be  quite  well ;  he 
does  not  feed  as  usual ;  he  partly  chews  his  food,  and  drops  it ; 
and  he  gulps  his  water.  The  owner  at  length  finds  that  the  mo- 
tion of  the  jaAvs  is  considerably  limited,  and  some  saliva  is  driv- 
elling from  the  mouth.  If  he  tries  he  can  only  open  the  mouth 
a  very  httle  way,  or  the  jaws  are  perfectly  and  rigidly  closed  ; 
and  thus  the  only  period  at  which  the  disease  could  have  been 
successfully  combated  is  lost.  A  cut  of  a  horse  laboring  under 
this  disease  is  here  given,  which  the  reader  will  do  well  to  oxam- 
'ne  carefuUy. 

Fig.  9. 


80  LOCKED    JAW. 

The  first  thing  that  strikes  the  observer  is  a  protrusion  of  the 
muzzle,  and  stifihess  of  the  neck  ;  and,  on  passing  the  hand  down 
it,  the  muscles  will  be  found  singularly  prominent,  distinct,  hard, 
knotty,  and  unyielding.  There  is  difficulty  in  bringing  the  head 
round,  and  still  greater  difficulty  in  bending  it.  The  eye  is 
drawn  deep  within  the  socket,  and,  in  consequence  of  this,  the 
fatty  matter  behind  the  eye  is  pressed  forward  ;  the  haw  is  also 
protruded,  and  there  is  an  appearance  of  strabismus,  or  squinting, 
in  an  outward  direction. 

The  ears  are  erect,  pointed  forward,  and  immovable  ;  if  the 
horse  is  spoken  to,  or  threatened  to  be  struck,  they  change  not 
their  position.  Considering  the  beautiful  play  of  the  ear  of  the 
horse  when  in  health,  and  the  kind  of  conversation  which  he 
maintains  by  the  motion  of  it,  there  is  not  a  more  characteristic 
symptom  of  tetanus  than  this  immobility  of  the  ear.  The  nostril 
is  expanded  to  the  utmost,  and  there  is  little  or  no  play  of  it,  as 
in  hurried  or  even  natural  breathing.  The  respiration  is  usually 
accelerated,  yet  not  always  so  ;  but  it  is  uniformly  laborious. 
The  pulse  gives  little  indication  of  the  severity  of  the  disease. 
It  is  sometimes  scarcely  affected.  It  will  be  rapidly  accelerated 
when  any  one  approaches  the  animal  and  offers  to  touch  him,  but 
it  presently  quiets  down  again  almost  to  its  natural  standard. 
After  a  while,  hoAvever,  the  heart  begins  to  sympathize  with  the 
general  excitation  of  the  system,  and  the  pulse  increases  in  fre- 
quency and  Ibrce  until  the  animal  becomes  debilitated,  when  it 
beats  yet  quicker  and  quicker,  but  diminishes  in  power,  and 
gradually  flutters  and  dies  away. 

The  countenance  is  eager,  anxious,  haggard,  and  tells  plainly 
enough  what  the  animal  suffers. 

The  stiffness  gradually  extends  to  the  back.  If  the  horse  is  in 
a  narrow  stall,  it  is  impossible  to  turn  him  ;  and,  even  with  room 
and  scope  enough,  he  turns  altogether  like  a  deal-board. 

The  extremities  begin  to  participate  in  the  spasm — the  hinder 
ones  generally  first,  but  never  to  the  extent  to  which  it  exists  in 
the  neck  and  back.  The  horse  stands  with  his  hind-legs  strad- 
dling apart  in  a  singular  way.  The  whole  of  the  limb  moves,  oi 
rather  is  dragged  on,  together,  and  anxious  care  is  taken  that  no 
joint  shall  be  flexed  more  than  can  possibly  be  helped.  The  fore 
limbs  have  a  singular  appearance  ;  they  are  as  stifle  as  they  can 
possibly  be,  but  stretched  forward  and  straddling  They  have 
not  unaptly  been  compared  to  the  legs  of  a  form. 

The  abdominal  muscles  gradually  become  involved.  They 
seem  to  contract  with  all  the  power  they  possess,  and  there  is  a 
degree  of  "  hide-bound"  appearance,  and  of  tucking  up  of  the 
belly,  which  is  seen  under  no  other  complaint.     The  tail  becomes 


LOCKED    JAW.  81 

in  constant  motion  from  the  alternate  and  violent  action  of  tht 
muscles  that  elevate  and  depress  it. 

Constipation,  and  to  an  almost  insurmountable  degree,  now  ap- 
pears. The  abdominal  muscles  are  so  powerfully  contracted,  that 
no  portion  of  the  contents  of  the  abdomen  can  pass  on  and  be 
discharged. 

By  degrees  the  spasm  extends  and  becomes  everywhere  more 
violent.  The  motion  of  the  whole  frame  is  lost,  and  the  horse 
stands  fixed  in  the  unnatural  posture  which  he  has  assumed 
The  countenance  becomes  wilder  and  more  haggard — its  expres- 
sion can  never  be  effaced  from  the  memory  of  him  who  cares 
about  the  feelings  of  a  brute.  The  violent  cramp  of  a  single 
muscle,  or  set  of  muscles,  makes  the  stoutest  heart  quail,  and 
draws  forth  the  most  piteous  cries — what,  then,  must  it  be  for 
this  torture  to  pervade  the  whole  frame,  and  to  continue,  with 
little  respite,  from  day  to  day,  and  from  week  to  week  !  When 
his  attendant  approaches  and  touches  him,  he  scarcely  moves , 
but  the  despairing  gaze,  and  the  sudden  acceleration  of  the 
pulse,  indicate  what  he  feels  and  fears 

Tetanus  is  evidently  an  affection  of  the  nerves,  caused  by  an 
injury  to  some  one  of  them,  and  the  effect  of  that  injury  has 
spread  to  the  origin  of  the  nerve — the  brain — and  universal  dis 
eased  action  has  followed. 

If  the  disease  terminates  fatally,  it  is  usually  from  the  sixth 
to  the  eighth  day.  There  are  occasionally  slight  remissions  in 
the  spasm,  but  not  sufficiently  to  enable  the  animal  to  eat  or  to 
drink.  If  these  remissions  return  and  increase  in  length,  and 
particularly  if  there  is  more  relaxation  of  the  lower  jaw,  there 
is  yet  hope.  If  the  horse  recovers,  it  will  be  slowly,  and  he 
will  be  left  sadly  weak,  and  a  mere  walking  skeleton. 

On  post-mortem  examination  the  muscular  fibre  will  exhibit 
sufficient  proof  of  the  labor  which  has  been  exacted  from  it. 
The  muscles  will  appear  as  if  they  had  been  macerated — their 
texture  will  be  softened,  and  they  will  be  torn  with  the  greatest 
ease.  The  lungs  will,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  be  highly  in- 
flamed, for  they  have  been  laboring  long  and  painfu  ly,  to  fur- 
nish arterial  blood  in  sufficient  quantity  to  support  this  great 
expenditure  of  animal  power.  The  stomach  will  contain  patches 
of  inflammation,  but  the  intestines,  in  most  cases,  will  not  ex- 
hibit much  departure  from  the  hue  of  health.  The  examination 
of  the  brain  will  be  altogether  unsatisfactory.  There  may  be 
slight  injection  of  some  of  the  membranes,  but,  in  the  majority 
of  cases,  there  will  not  be  any  morbid  change  worthy  of  record . 

Tetanus  most  usually  occurs  from  injvifies  to  some  nervous 
fibre  of   the  foot — sometimes  from  a  prick    in    shoeing.     It  is 
also    connected    with   docking,   nicking  and   castration    (q.    v.) 
6  cl 


82  LOCKED    JAW CRAMP, 

Severe  over-exertion,  or  sudden  exposure    to  cold   after   being 
heated  by  exercise,  has  also  brought  it  on. 

The  treatment  of  tetanus  is  simple — the  system  must  he  tran- 
quillized. The  grand  agent  in  accomplishing  this  is  copious 
bleeding.  The  animal  should  be  bled  until  he  falls,  or  the 
pulse  evidently  falters.  Tvi^enty  pounds  of  blood  have  been 
safely  taken  in  such  cases. 

The  profuse  bleeding  will  generally  relax  the  muscles  of  the. 
jaw,  so  that  a  dose  of  physic  can  be  administered.  Eight  or  ten 
drachms  of  aloes  should  be  given.  If  the  remission  of  the  spasm 
is  slight,  there  is  another  purgative — not  so  certain  in  its  action, 
but  more  powerful  when  it  does  act — the  farina  of  the  Croton  nut. 

Clysters  will  be  useful  in  assisting  the  action  of  the  purgative 
A  solution  of  Epsom  salts  will  constitute  the  safest  and  best  in- 
jection. As  to  medicine,  opium  is  not  only  a  valuable  drug,  but 
it  is  that  on  which  alone  dependence  can  be  placed  in  this  disease. 
It  will  be  borne  in  doses,  from  half  a  drachm  to  two  drachms. 

The  application  of  sheep-skins  warm  from  the  animal,  and 
applied  along  the  whole  course  of  the  spine,  may  somewhat  un- 
load the  congested  vessels  of  the  part,  and  diminish  the  sufierings 
of  the  animal.  They  should  be  renewed  as  soon  as  they  become 
offensive,  and  the  patient  should  be  covered  from  the  poll  to  the 
tail  with  double  or  treble  clothing. 

Gentle  friction  with  the  hand  along  the  course  of  the  spine, 
and  the  application  of  an  opiate  liniment,  is  highly  useful. 

Gruel  should  be  placed  within  the  reach  of  the  horse,  and  he 
should  also  have  thoroughly  wet  mashes  placed  before  him.  By 
means  of  a  small  horn,  or  bottle,  gruel  can  sometimes  be  intro- 
duced in  the  stomach.  Tliis  can  be  readily  accomplished  by 
means  of  the  flexible  tube  accompanying  Read's  patent  pump, 
A  little  food  should  be  placed  in  the  manger,  and  occasionally 
inserted  between  his  grinders.  The  effort  to  eat  will  assist  in 
breaking  the  chain  of  spasmodic  action.  Turn  out  the  horse  for 
a  few  hours  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  in  fine  weather.^ 

CRAMP. 

This  is  a  sudden,  involuntary,  and  painful  spasm  of  a  par- 
ticular muscle.     It  occasionally  attacks  the  muscles  of  organic 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — Successful  treatment  is  principally  confined  to 
those  cases  in  which  the  spasm  is  not  universal,  but  confined  to  one  part,  as 
the  neck  or  jaw,  when  it  is  denominated  trisums.  Purgatives,  opiates,  and 
antimonials,  form,  with  blood-letting,  the  principal  curative  measures  ;  but 
it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that,  beyond  all  these,  perfect  quietude,  and  the 
absence  of  all  excitement,  is  most  essential.  The  animal  should  therefore  be 
left  alone  as  much  as  possible,  without  being  harassed  by  frequent  visita 
and  the  exhibition  of  medicines. 


STRING  HALT CHOREA.  83 

life,  but  in  its  most  common  form  only  affects  the  hind  extremi- 
ties, where  it  is  observed  by  the  temporary  lameness  and  stiff- 
ness it  produces,  in  the  hardly  worked  horse,  as  he  is  first  led  out 
of  the  stable  in  the  morning.  If  any  lameness  remains,  which 
can  be  ascertained  by  presshig  the  parts,  it  should  be  removed 
by  hard  rubbing,  or  by  giving  the  horse  a  wider  and  more  com- 
fortable stall,  if  that  should  appear  to  be  the  origin  of  the 
difficulty. 

STRINGHALT. 

This  is  a  sudden  and  spasmodic  action  of  some  of  the  muscles 
of  the  thigh  when  the  horse  is  first  led  from  the  stable.  One  or 
both  legs  are  caught  up  at  every  step  with  great  rapidity  and 
violence,  so  that  the  fetlock  sometimes  touches  the  belly  ;  but, 
after  the  horse  has  been  out  a  little  while,  this  usually  goes  off 
and  the  natural  action  of  the  animal  returns.  In  a  few  cases  it 
does  not  perfectly  disappear  after  exercise,  but  the  horse  continues 
to  be  slightly  lame. 

Stringhalt  is  not  a  perfectly  involuntary  action  of  a  certain 
muscle,  or  a  certain  set  of  muscles.  The  limb  is  flexed  at  the 
command  of  the  will,  but  it  acts  to  a  greater  extent  and  with 
more  violence  than  the  will  had  prompted. 

Professor  Spooner  is  of  opinion  that  this  peculiar  affection  is  not 
referable  to  any  diseased  state  of  the  brain  or  spinal  cord,  nor  to 
any  local  affection  of  the  muscles  of  the  limbs,  but  simply  to 
a  morbid  affection  of  the  sciatic  nerve.  He  has  not  dissected  a 
single  case  of  stringhalt  in  which  he  has  not  found  disease  of  this 
nerve,  which  mainly  contributes  to  supply  the  hind  extremities 
with  sensation  and  the  power  of  voluntary  motion. 

Stringhalt  is  decided  unsoundness  ;  but  generally  speaking,  it 
so  little  interferes  with  the  services  of  the  animal,  that  although 
an  unsoundness,  it  would  not  weigh  a  great  deal  against  other 
manifest  valuable  qualities. 

CHOREA. 

This  is  a  convulsive,  involuntary  t^vitching  of  some  muscie  or 
set  of  muscles.  A  few,  and  very  few,  cases  of  it  in  the  horse  are 
recorded.  Professor  Gohier  relates  one  in  which  it  attacked  both 
fore-legs,  and  especially  the  left,  but  the  affection  was  not  con- 
stant. During  five  or  six  minutes  the  spasms  were  most  vio- 
lent, so  that  the  horse  was  scarcely  able  to  stand.  The  convul- 
sions then  became  weaker,  the  interval  between  them  increased, 
and  at  length  they  disappeared,  leaving  a  slight  but  temporary 
lameness.  All  means  of  cure  were  fruitlessly  tried,  and  the  dis- 
ease continued  until  the  horse  died  of  some  other  complaint.     In 


84  FITS PALSY. 

another  case  it  followed  sudden  suppression  of  the  discharge  of 
glanders  and  disappearance  of  the  enlarged  glands.  This  also 
was  intermittent  during  the  life  of  the  animal. 

FITS,  OR  EPILEPSY. 

The  stream  of  nervous  influence  is  sometimes  rapid,  or  the 
suspensions  are  considerable.  This  is  the  theory  of  Fits,  or  Ep- 
ilepsy. Fortunately  the  horse  is  not  often  afflicted  with  this 
disease,  although  it  is  not  unknown  to  the  breeder.  The  attack 
-S  not  sudden.  The  animal  stops — trembles — looks  vacantly 
around  him,  and  falls.  Occasionally  the  convulsions  that  follow 
are  slight ;  at  other  times  they  are  terrible.  The  head  and  fore- 
part of  the  horse  are  most  affected,  and  the  contortions  are  very 
singular.  In  a  few  minutes  the  convul^ons  cease  ;  he  gets  up  ; 
looks  around  him  with  a  kind  of  stuj)id  astonishment ;  shakes  his 
ears  ;  urines  ;  and  eats  or  drinks  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

The  only  hope  of  cure  consists  in  discovering  the  cause  of  the 
fits ;  and  an  experienced  practitioner  must  be  consulted,  if  the 
animal  is  valuable.  G-enerally  speaking,  however,  the  cause 
is  so  difficult  to  discover,  and  the  habit  of  having  fits  is  so  soon 
formed,  and  these  fits  will  so  frequently  return,  even  at  a  great 
distance  of  time,  that  he  who  values  his  own  safety,  or  the  lives 
of  his  family,  will  cease  to  use  an  epileptic  horse. 

PALSY. 

The  stream,  of  nervous  influence  is  sometimes  stopped,  and 
thence  results  palsy.  The  power  of  the  muscle  is  unimpaired, 
but  the  nervous  energy  is  deficient.  In  the  horse,  palsy  is  usually 
general,  and  not  confined  to  one  side  as  commonly  happens  in 
the  human  subject.  It  generally  attacks  the  hind  extremities. 
The  loins  and  the  back  oftenest  exhibit  the  eflects  of  palsy,  be- 
cause there  are  some  of  the  most  violent  muscular  efforts,  and 
there  is  the  greatest  movement  and  the  least  support.  It  may 
consequently  be  taken  as  an  axiom  to  guide  the  judgment  of  the 
piactitioner  that  palsy  in  the  horse  almost  invariably  proceeds 
from  disease  or  injury  of  the  spine. 

On  inquiry  it  is  almost  invariably  found  that  the  horse  had 
lately  fallen,  or  had  been  worked  exceedingly  hard,  or  that 
covered  with  perspiration,  he  had  been  left  exposed  to  cold  ami} 
wet.  It  commences  generally  in  one  hind-leg,  or  perhaps  both 
are  equally  affected.  The  animal  can  scarcely  walk — ^lie  walks 
on  his  fetlocks  instead  of  his  soles — he  staggers  at  every  motion. 
At  length  he  falls.  He  is  raised  with  difflculty,  or  he  never 
rises  again.     The  sensibilitj  of  the  part  seems  for  a  while  to  be 


RHEUMATISM.  85 

« 

dreadfully  increaFu'd  ;  but,  in  general,  this  gradually  subsides — it 
sinlvs  below  the  u&ual  standard — it  ceases  altogether. 

If  he  is  examined  after  death,  there  will  usually,  about  the 
region  of  the  loins,  be  inflammation  of  the  membranes  of  the 
spinal  cord,  or  of  the  cord  itself.  The  medullary  matter  will  be 
found  of  a  yellow  color,  or  injected  with  spots  of  blood,  or  it  will 
be  softened,  and  have  become  semifluid. 

The  treatment  is  simple.  It  should  commence  with  bleeding 
until  the  pulse  begins  to  falter  or  the  horse  to  reel.  To  this 
should  follow  a  strong  cathartic.  The  loins  should  be  covered 
with  a  mustard  poultice  frequently  renewed.  The  horse  should 
be  warmly  clothed,  supplied  plentifully  with  mashes,  but  with- 
out a  kernel  of  grain  in  them ;  and  frequent  injections  administer- 
ed. If  favorable  symptoms  appear,  the  horse  must  not  be  in  the 
slightest  degree  neglected,  nor  the  medical  treatment  suspended, 
for  in  no  disease  is  there  a  greater  liability  of  relapse,  and  in 
none  is  a  relapse  more  fatal.  Palsy  of  the  horse  is  an  inflamma- 
tory complaint,  and  under  no  circumstances  should  grain  or  any 
tonic  medicine  be  given. 

If  the  heat  and  tenderness  abate,  and  the  animal  regains  a 
freer  use  of  his  limbs,  or  if  it  is  becoming  a  case  of  chronic  palsy, 
an  extensive  and  stimulating  charge  over  the  loins  should  be 
immediately  applied.  It  will  accomplish  three  purposes  :  there 
will  be  the  pruiciple  of  counter-irritation — a  defence  against  the 
cold — and  a  useful  support  of  the  limbs. 

RHEUMATISM. 

It  is  only  of  late  years  that  this  has  been  admitted  into  the 
list  of  the  diseases  of  the  horse,  although  it  is  in  truth  a  very 
common  affection.  It  is  frequent  in  old  horses  that  have  been 
early  abused,  and  among  younger  ones  whose  powers  have  been 
severely  taxed.  The  lameness  is  frequently  excessive,  and  the 
pain  is  evidently  excruciating.  The  animal  dares  not  to  rest  the 
shghtest  portion  of  its  weight  on  the  limb,  or  even  to  touch  the 
ground  with  his  toe.  He  is  heaving  at  the  flanks,  sweating  pro- 
fusely, his  countenance  plainly  indicative  of  the  agony  he  feels  ; 
but  there  is  at  first  no  heat,  or  swelling,  or  tenderness.  With 
proper  treatment,  the  pain  and  the  lameness  gradually  disappear ; 
but  in  other  instances  the  fasciae  of  the  muscles  become  thick- 
ened— the  ligaments  are  also  thickened  and  rigid — ^the  capsules 
of  the  joint  are  loaded  with  a  glairy  fluid,  and  the  joint  is  evi- 
dently enlarged.  This  is  simply  rheumatism  ;  but  if  it  is  neg- 
lected, palsy  soon  associates  itself  with,  or  succeeds  to,  the  com- 
plaint ;  and  the  loss  of  nervous  power  follows  the  difficultY  oi 
pain  of  moving. 


86  NEUROTOMY. 

Every  horseman  will  recollect  cases  in  which  the  animal  that 
seemed  on  the  preceding  day  to  be  perfectly  sound  becomes 
decidedly  lame,  and  limps  as  though  he  had  lost  the  use  of  his 
limbs  ;  yet  there  is  no  thickening  of  the  tendons,  nor  any  external 
inflammatory  action  to  show  the  seat  of  the  complaint. 

The  attack  is  most  common  in  winter,  and  in  wet,  cola 
weather.  Good  bleeding  and  sharp  purging,  the  former  aided  if 
necessary  by  injections — and  warm  fomentations  to  the  afiected 
parts — constitute  the  proper  treatm.ent. 

NEUROTOMY. 

From  the  faulty  construction  of  the  shoe,  the  premature  and 
cruel  exaction  of  labor,  and  various  other  causes,  the  horse  is 
subject  to  a  variety  of  diseases  of  the  foot — all  of  them  accom- 
panied with  a  greater  or  less  degree  of  pain,  often  of  a  very  in- 
tense character,  and  ceasing  only  with  the  life  of  the  animal. 

The  division  of  the  nerve  as  a  remedy  for  intense  pain  in 
any  part  of  the  frame,  was  systematically  practiced  more  than 
a  century  ago.  Mr.  Moorecroft  has  the  honor  of  introducing 
this  operation — neurotomy — into  veterinaiy  practice.  He  laid 
bare  one  of  the  metacarpal  nerves,  and  divided  it.  It  always 
immediately  reduced  the  lameness,  and,  sometimes,  the  horse 
rose  perfectly  sound.  This  result  was  not  always  permanent, 
however,  for  the  lameness  returned  in  a  few  weeks,  or  on  much 
active  exertion.  He  next  cut  out  a  small  piece  of  the  nerve. 
The  freedom  from  lameness  was  of  longer  duration,  but  eventu- 
ally returned.  He  then  tried  a  bolder  experiment — the  excision 
of  a  portion  of  the  nerves  going  both  to  the  inner  and  outer 
metacarpals,  and  found  that  the  sensi)iility  of  the  foot  was  thus 
destroyed. 

Fig.  10  gives  a  view  of  the  nerve  on  the  inside  of  the  leg, 
as  it  approaches  the  fetlock.  It  will  be  seen  that  branches 
are  given  off  above  the  fetlock,  which  go  to  the  fore-part  of  the 
foot  and  supply  it  with  feeling.  The  continuation  of  the  nerve 
below  the  fetlock  is  given  principally  to  the  quarters  and  hinder 
part  of  the  foot.  The  grand  consideration,  then,  with  the  oper- 
ator is — does  he  wish  to  deprive  the  whole  of  the  foot  of  sensa- 
tion, or  is  the  cause  of  lameness  principally  in  the  hinder  part 
of  the  foot,  so  that  he  can  leave  some  degree  of  feeling  in  the 
fore-part,  and  prevent  that  alteration  in  the  tread  and  going  of 
the  horse,  which  the  horseman  so  much  dislikes  ? 

The  horse  must  be  cast  and  secured,  and  the  limb  to  be 
operated  on  removed  from  the  hobbles  and  extended — the  hair 
having  been  previously  shaved  from  the  part.  The  operator 
then  feels  for  the  throbbing  of  the  artery,  or  the  round  fxira 


NEUROTOIMY. 


87 


Dody  of  the  nerve  itself,  on  the  side  of  the  shank  bone  or  the 
larger  pastern.  The  vein,  artery,  and  nerve  liere  run  close 
together,  the  vein  nearest  to  the  front  of  the  leg,  then  the 
artery,  and  the  nerve  behind.  He  cautiously  cuts  through  the 
skin  for  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length.  The  vessels  will  then 
be  brought  into  view,  and  the  nerve  will  be  distinguished  from 
them  by  its  lying  behind  the  others,  and  by  its  whiteness.  A 
crooked  needle,  armed  with  silk,  is  then  passed  under  it,  in  order 
to  raise  it  a  little.  It  is  dissected  from  the  cellular  substance 
beneath,  and  about  three  quarters  of  an  inch  of  it  cut  out, — the 
first  incision  bemg  made  at  the  upper  part,  in  which  case  the 
second  incision  will  not  be  felt.  The  horse  must  then  be  turned, 
and  the  operation  performed  on  the  other  side  ;  for  there  is  a 
nervous  trunk  on  both  sides.  The  wounds  are  now  closed  with 
strips  of  adhesive  plaster,  a  bandage  placed  over  them,  the  head 
tied  up  for  a  couple  of  days,  and  the  animal  kept  rather  low, 
and  as  quiet  as  possible.  The  incisions  will  generally  rapidly 
heal ;  and  in  three  weeks  or  a  month,  and  sometimes  earher, 
the  horse  will  be  fit  for  work. 


Fig.  10. 


A  The  metacarpal  nerve  on  the  inside  of  the  off  leg 
at  the  edge  of  the  shank  bone,  and  behind  the 
vein  and  artery. 

B  The  continuation  of  the  same  nerve  on  the  past- 
ern, and  proceeding  downward  to  supply  the 
back  part  of  the  foot  wnth  feeling. 

C  The  division  of  the  nerve  on  the  fetlock  joint. 

D  The  branch  which  supplies  \vith  feeling  the 
fore-part  of  the  foot. 

E  The  artery  between  the  vein  and  nerve. 

F  The  continuation  of  the  artery  on  the  pastern, 
close  to,  and  before  the  nerve. 

G  The  vein  before  the  artery  and  nerve. 

H  The  same  vein  spreading  over  the  pastern 

I  One  of  the  flexor  tendons,  the  perforatus  (per- 
forated). 

J  The  deeper  flexor  tendon,  the  perforans  (per- 
forating, contained  within  the  other). 

K  The  tendinous  band  in  w-hich  the  flexors  work, 

L   One  of  the  extensors  of  the  foot. 

M  The  internal  or  sensible  frog. 

N  The  posterior  lateral  ligament. 

O  The  fleshy  or  sensible  lamina  covering  the  coffin 
bone,  the  horny  crust  being  removed. 

P  The  horny  crust. 

a  The  sole. 


For  rmg-bone — the  side  cartilages  becoming  bony,   and  there 
being  partial    stiffness   of    the   pastern    and    coffin  joints the 


88  NEUROTOMY. 

Operation  of  nerving  will  probably  be  beneficial.  The  sense 
of  pain  being  taken  away,  the  animal  will  use  these  parts  more, 
and  they  will  gradually  recover  their  natural  action  and  motion. 
For  the  same  reason,  in  old  contraction  cf  the  feet,  it  is  highly 
beneficial.  The  torture  occasioned  by  the  pressure  of  the  horny 
crust  on  the  sensible  parts  within  being  no  longer  felt,  and  the 
foot  coming  fully  and  firmly  in  contact  with  the  ground,  not  only 
is  lameness  relieved,  but  the  elasticity  and  form  of  the  foot  par- 
tially restored.  Where  lameness  has  long  existed,  unattended 
with  heat  of  the  foot  or  alteration  of  shape,  and  the  seat  of 
which  could  not  be  ascertained,  although  probably  existing  be- 
tween the  navicular  bone  and  the  back  tendon  that  plays  over 
it,  neurotomy  may  be  resorted  to  with  decided  advantage. 

Mischief,  however,  will  result  from  the  operation  if  the  pastern 
or  coffin  joints  are  perfectly  stifi^,  because  the  concussion  occa- 
sioned by  the  forcible  contact  of  the  foot  with  the  ground,  and 
unbroken  by  the  play  of  the  joints,  must  necessarily  still  more 
injure  the  bone.  When  the  sole  of  the  foot  is  convex  or  pum- 
iced, the  efiect  of  neurotomy  will  be  most  destructive.  The  sole 
scarcely  able  to  bear  the  pressure  of  the  coffin-bone,  even  when 
pain  induces  the  animal  to  put  his  foot  as  gently  as  possible 
on  the  ground,  being  forced  below  its  natural  situation,  would 
be  speedily  worn  through  and  destroyed.  So  if  inflammation 
existed,  although  its  pain  might  be  removed,  yet  its  progress 
would  be  quickened  by  the  bruising  to  which  the  parts  might 
be  jubjected  ;  and  more  especially  would  this  be  the  case,  if 
there  was  any  ulceration  of  the  ligaments  or  cartilages. 

The  unfettered  shoe  of  Mr.  Turner  being  adopted,  at  least  so 
far  as  we  can  have  it  unfettered — attached  to  the  foot  on  one 
side  alone,  and  the  inner  quarter  being  left  free — ^the  foot 
gradually  regains  its  original  healthy  form,  and  when,  in  pro 
cess  of  time,  a  new  portion  of  nerve  is  produced,  and  the  sensi 
bility  of  the  foot  re-established,  the  horse  continues  to  be  sound. 
To  some  extent,  immediate  good  effect  is  produced  as  it  regards 
the  actual  disease.  We  remove  that  general  constitutional  ir- 
ritability which  long-continued  pain  occasions,  and  which  height- 
ens and  perpetuates  local  disease.  We  obtain  for  the  patient 
an  interval  of  repose,  and  every  local  ailment  soon  subsides  or 
disappears,  and  the  whole  constitution  becomes  invigorated. 

Mr.  Percival  relates  the  case  of  a  mare  with  contracted  feet, 
that  was  never  subject  to  periodical  CEstrum,  and  would  not 
breed— and  an  incompetent  stallion,  with  some  disease  of  the 
feet — both  of  which  procreated  freely  after  being  subjected  to 
the  operation  of  neurotomy. 

Neurotomy  having  been  performed,  the  veterinary  surgeon 
jvill  attempt  to  remove  the  original  cause  of  the  pain,  and  re 


NEUROTOMY.  89 

store  the  foot,  except  so  far  as  feeling  is  concerned,  to  its  natu- 
ral condition.  In  doing  this,  he  is  now  permitted  to  use  appli- 
ances which  humanity  would  have  prevented  him  from  resorting 
to,  before  the  sensibility  of  the  part  was  destroyed.  Some  of 
these  will  be  hereafter  adverted  to. 

The  principle  of  neurotomy  is  plain  and  simple — it  is  the  re- 
moval of  jKiin.  In  this  light,  it  is  a  noble  operation,  and  one 
in  which  every  humane  person  will  rejoice.  But  it  may  be 
abused.  If  no  contemporaneous  means  are  adopted  to  cure  the 
disease  of  the  foot — if  in  canker,  or  quittor,  or  inflammation  of 
the  laminae,  for  example,  no  means  are  used  to  lessen  the  con- 
cussion and  pressure — the  destruction  of  the  part,  and  the  utter 
ruhi  of  the  horse,  are  the  inevitable  consequences.  The  primary 
result  is  the  removal  of  pain.  It  is  for  the  operator  to  calculate 
the  bearing  of  this  on  the  actual  disease,  and  the  future  useful- 
ness of  the  animal. 

The  excised  portion  of  the  nerve  is  again  reproduced,  but  the 
time  in  which' this  is  effected  has  not  been  tested  by  any  definite 
experiments.  With  the  restoration  of  the  nerve,  the  lameness 
and  pain  return,  unless  the  cause  is  removed. 

Can  the  horse  that  has  undergone  the  operation  of  neurotomy 
be  afterwards  passed  as  sound  ?  Most  certainly  not.=^  [See  Un- 
soundness.] 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — The  operation  lias  sometimes  fallen  into  disrepute 
from  having  been  performed  on  improper  cases,  or  from  the  horse  having 
afterwards  been  unduly  worked.  It  should  never  be  performed  on  a  Aveak. 
fiat,  or  convex  foot,  as  the  danger  from  concussion,  pricks  from  shoeing, 
and  other  injuries,  is  great,  and  is  still  further  increased  by  the  operation 
in  question.  It  also  should  not  be  performed  for  diseases  of  the  fetlock 
joint,  nor  when  the  feet  are  exceedingly  contracted  ;  for,  in  the  former 
case,  the  inflammation  of  the  fetlock  will  soon  extend  above  the  seat  of 
operation  on  the  renewal  of  work ;  and,  in  the  latter  case,  the  disposition 
to  expansion  will  be  so  great  from  the  horse  treading  boldly  on  his  heels 
that  inflammation  will  result  from  the  pressure  of  the  soft  parts  against 
the  horny  crust,  and  enlargement  and  disorganization  will  be  likely  to  fol- 
low. The  best  cases  for  the  operation  are  those  where  the  foot  is  strong 
and  but  little  contracted.  The  horse  should  be  worked  moderately  and 
steadily  afterwards,  either  at  a  foot  pace  or  a  steady  trot.  He  should  not 
be  used  for  hunting ;  as,  in  alighting  from  a  leap,  the  diseased  sinew,  in 
passing  over  the  navicular  bone,  to  which  it  often  becomes  morbidly  united, 
sometimes  snaps  or  ruptures,  and  the  horse  is  rendered  useless.  For  the 
same  reason,  the  horse  should  not  be  turned  out  to  grass,  as  the  same  re- 
sult may  happen  from  playfulness.  A  result  which  sometimes  attends  this 
operation  is,  that  when  the  horse  has  been  previously  disposed  to  overreach 
or  clack  his  hind  shoes  against  his  fore  ones,  this  disposition  is  afterwards 
greatly  increased,  from  the  leg  operated  on  not  being  moved  out  of  the  way 
of  the  hind-leg  so  rapidly  as  it  should  be. 

Neurotomy  is  usually  performed  a  few  inches  above  the  fetlock  joint. 
Some  novices  have  performed  it  midway  between  the  fetlock  joint  and  the 
knee,  and  been  much  surprised  to  find  that  the  lameness  still  continued, 


90  INSANITY 


INSANITY. 


There  is  no  doubt  that  the  animals  which  we  have  subjugated 
possess  many  of  the  same  mental  faculties  as  the  human  being 
— volition,  memory,  attachment,  gratitude,  resentment,  fear,  and 
hatred.  Who  has  not  witnessed  the  plaui  and  manifest  display 
of  these  principles  and  feelmgs  in  our  quadruped  dependants  ? 
The  simple  possession  of  these  faculties  implies  that  they  may 
be  used  for  purposes  good  or  bad,  and  that,  as  in  the  human 
being,  they  may  be  deranged  or  destroyed  by  a  multitude  of 
causes  which  it  is  not  necessary  to  particularize. 

The  conduct  of  the  horse  laboring  under  insanity,  is  highly 
analogous  to  certain  acts  of  insanity  in  man. 

Professor  Rodet,  of  Toulouse,  gives  an  account  of  a  horse  re- 
markable for  an  habitual  air  of  stupidity,  and  for  a  wandering  ex- 
pression of  countenance,  that  when  he  saw  or  heard  any  sudden 
or  unusual  noise,  or  even  when  his  grain  was  thrown  into  his 
manger  without  speakmg  to  him  or  patting  him,  was  frightened 
to  an  incredible  degree  ;  he  recoiled  precipitately,  every  limb 
trembled,  and  he  struggled  violently  to  escape.  If  unable  to  do 
BO,  he  became  so  enraged  that  it  was  dangerous  to  approach  him. 
This  was  followed  by  dreadful  convulsions,  which  did  not  cease 
until  he  got  free.  He  then  would  become  calm,  and  suffer  him- 
self to  be  led  back  to  his  stall. 

Professor  Rodet  also  speaks  of  a  mare  belonging  to  a  soldier, 
that  had  not  the  slightest  fear  of  the  sights  and  sounds  of  a  field 
of  battle,  but  had  an  insane  aversion  to  paper  I  She  distin- 
guished it  at  once  from  all  other  objects,  and  even  m  the  dark, 

which  -was  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  outer  metacarpal  nerve  sends  off  a 
branch  which  passes  obhquely  over  the  back  sinews,  and  joins  the  other 
several  inches  lower  down ;  so  that  the  section  is  made  on  one  side  below 
the  place  where  the  branch  nerve  leaves,  and  on  the  other  above  the  spot 
where  it  joins  the  nerve ;  thus  feeling  is  readily  kept  up  by  means  of  this 
branch  nerve.  Sometimes  the  operation  is  performed  below,  or  immedi- 
ately upon  the  fetlock  joint ;  the  effect  of  which  is,  that  feeling  is  preserved 
to  the  front  of  the  foot  by  means  of  two  small  branch  nerves  which  are 
given  off  above  the  fetlock  joint,  whilst  the  navicular  joint  is  deprived  of  all 
feeling.  This  would  be  a  very  desirable  mode  of  performing  the  operation, 
were  it  always  successful ;  but  it  often  happens  that,  after  some  time,  lame- 
ness again  follows  from  the  mischief  extending  itself  within  the  sphere  of 
the  nerves  that  remain.  In  some  instances,  however,  where  the  disease  is 
entirely  confined  within  the  navicular  joint,  the  horse  has  continued  sound, 
and  still  preserved  a  certain  degree  of  feeling.  Another  mode  of  operating 
is,  to  excise  the  nerve  on  the  inside  above  the  fetlock,  and,  on  the  outside, 
upon  it ;  by  which  means  a  slight  degree  of  feeling  is  preserved  on  the  out- 
eide  and  front  of  the  foot,  and  there  is  no  danger  of  injury  from  cutting 
which  is  the  case  when  the  operation  is  performed  immediately  on  the  fftt- 
lock  joint  on  both  sides  of  the  leg. 


DISEASES    OF    THE    EYE.  91 

if  two  leaves  were  rubbed  together — and  her  fright  caused  her 

several  times  to  unhorse  her  rider. 

Another  mare,  quiet  in  other  respects,  would  invariably  rush 
at  another  white  or  gray  horse,  and  attempt  to  destroy  it. 

These  instances  are  selected  from  various  others,  because  they 
approach  so  nearly  to  what  would  be  termed  insanity  in  man. 
It  is  a  species  of  monomania,  and  as  decided  insanity  as  ever 
the  biped  discovered.  One  of  these  horses,  the  second,  was  by 
long  and  kind  attention  divested  of  this  insane  terror,  and  be- 
came perfectly  quiet  and  useful ;  but  the  others  bid  defiance  to 
all  means  of  cure,  and  to  coercion  among  the  rest. 

DISEASES  OF  -THE  EYE. 

The  diseases  of  the  eye  constitute  a  very  important,  but  a 
most  unsatisfactory  division  of  our  work,  for  the  maladies  of  this 
organ,  although  few  in  number,  are  frequent  in  their  appear- 
ance.     They  are  sadly  obstinate,  and  often  baffle  all  skill. 

We  have  spoken  of  fracture  of  the  orbit,  and  its  treatment 

Occasionally  the  substance  round  the  eye  is  wounded  by  a 
fork  or  other  sharp  instrument,  and  inflammation  ensues.  This 
should  be  abated  by  poultices,  and  bleeding,  and  physic  ;  but 
no  probe  should  be  used  in  such  a  place. 

The  eyelids  are  subject  to  occasional  inflammation  from  blows 
or  other  injuries.  Fomentation  with  warm  water  will  be  ser- 
viceable here. 

The  horse  has  occasionally  a  scaly  eruption  on  the  edges  of  the 
eyelids,  attended  with  great  itching,  in  the  effort  to  allay  which, 
by  rubbing  the  part,  the  eye  may  be  blemished.  The  nitrated 
ointment  of  quicksilver,  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of  lard, 
may  be  slightly  rubbed  on  the  edges  of  the  Uds  with  considerable 
good  efi^ect. 

The  eyelids  will  sometimes  become  oedematous  (puffed  up  with 
a  serous  hmnor).  Horses  fed  in  low  wet  pastures,  old  carriage- 
horses,  &c.,  are  subject  to  it.  It  is  sometimes  the  result  of  badly 
treated  inflammation.  The  lids  should  be  well  bathed  with 
warm  water  mmgled  with  an  aromatic  tincture. 

Weakness  and  dropping  of  the  upper  lid  is  caused  by  diminu- 
tion or  loss  of  power  in  its  muscles.  Dry  frictions  and  aromatic 
lotions  will  frequently  restore  the  tone  of  the  parts. 

The  eyelids  are  subject  to  occasional  injury  from  their  situation 
and  office.  In  small  incised  (cut)  wounds  of  them  great  care 
should  be  taken  that  the  divided  edges  unite  by  the  first  intention. 
This  will  hasten  the  cure,  and  prevent  deformity.  If  any  of  the 
muscles  are  divided,  it  is  usually  the  ciliary  or  orbicularis  palpe- 
orarum.     This  lesion  must  be  healed,  if  possible,  by  the  first  in- 


S2  DISEASES    OF    THE    EYE. 

tention,  and  either  by  means  of  adhesive  plaster  or  the  suture 
(sewing).      The  suture  is  probably  the  preferable  agent. 

Suppurating  wounds  in  the  eyelids  may  be  the  consequence  of 
the  necessary  abstraction  of  a  considerable  surface  of  the  skin,  in 
the  removal  of  warts  or  tumors.  The  principal  thing  to  be  at- 
tended to  is  the  frequent  removal  of  the  matter  tj  means  of  tow 
or  cotton  wool.     The  rest  may  generally  be  left  to  nature. 

Inversion  of  the  lids  is  of  very  rare  occurrence  in  the  horse. 

Warts  are  sometimes  attached  to  the  edges  of  the  lids,  and  are 
a  source  of  great  irritation.  When  rubbed  they  bleed,  and  the 
common  opinion  is  true — that  they  are  propagated  by  the  blood. 
They  should  be  taken  off  with  a  sharp  pair  of  scissors,  and  theii 
roots  touched  with  the  lunar  caustic. 

The  membrane  which  covers  the  Haw  is  subject  to  inflamma- 
tion. It  is,  indeed,  a  continuation  of  the  conjunctiva,  the  inflam- 
mation of  which  constitutes  ophthalmia.  An  account  of  this 
inflammation  will  be  better  postponed  until  the  nature  and  treat- 
ment of  ophthalmia  come  under  particular  notice. 

The  Haw,  or  Membrana  Nictitans,  is  subject  to  inflammation 
peculiar  to  itself,  arising  from  the  introd\iction  of  foreign  bodies, 
or  from  blows  or  other  accidents.  The  entire  substance  of  the 
haw  becomes  inflamed.  It  swells  and  protrudes  from  the  innei 
angle  of  the  eye.  The  heat  and  redness  gradually  disappear,  bul 
the  membrane  often  continues  to  protrude.  The  inflammation 
of  this  organ  often  assumes  a  chronic  character  in  a  very  short 
time,  on  account  of  the  structure  of  the  parts,  which  are  m  gen- 
eral little  susceptible  of  reaction. 

The  ordinary  causes  of  this  disease  in  the  horse  are  repeated 
and  periodical  attacks  of  ophthalmia,  and  blows  on  the  part. 
Young  and  old  horses  are  most  subject  to  it. 

Emollient  applications,  bleeding,  and  restricted  diet  will  be 
proper  at  the  commencement  of  the  disease,  and,  the  inflamma- 
tion being  abated,  slight  astringents  will  be  useful  in  preventing 
the  engorgement  of  the  part.  Rose-water  with  subacetate  of 
lead  will  form  a  proper  eye-wash.  If  the  protruding  body  does 
not  diminish  after  propei  means  have  been  tried,  and  for  a  suffi- 
cient period,  it  must  be  removed  with  a  curved  pair  of  scissors. 
No  danger  will  attend  this  operation  if  it  is  performed  in  time  ; 
but  if  it  is  neglected,  ulceration  of  the  part  and  the  growth  of 
fungous  vegetations  will  give  a  serious  character  to  the  affair. 
A  second  operation  may  also  be  necessary,  and  even  a  -third,  and 
fungus  hsematodes  will  probably  be  established. 

Ulceration  and  caries  (decay)  of  the  cartilage  will  sometimes 
be  accompanied  by  ulceration  of  the  conjunctiva.  This  will  fre- 
quently prove  a  very  serious  affair,  demanding,  at  least,  the  re- 
moval of  the  haw. 


INFLAMMATION   OF    THE    EYE.  93 

The  Canmcula  Lacrymalis,  or  Tubercle,  by  means  of  wbich 
the  tears  are  directed  into  the  canal  through  which  tliey  are  to 
escape  from  the  nostril,  is  sometimes  enlarged  in  consequence  of 
inriammation,  and  the  Puncta  LacrymaHa,  or  conduits  into  which 
the  tears  pass  from  the  eye,  are  partially  or  completely  closed 
file  application  of  warm  and  emollient  lotions  will  generally  re- 
move the  collected  mucus  or  the  inflammation  of  the  parts  ;  but 
if  the  passage  of  a  stylet  or  other  more  complicated  means  are 
required,  the  assistance  of  a  veterinary  surgeon  should  be  imme- 
aiately  obtained.  The  lacrymal  sac  mto  which  the  tears  pass 
from  tlie  puncta  has  occasionally  participated  in  the  inflammation, 
and  been  distended  and  ruptured  by  the  tears  and  mucus.  This 
lesion  is  termed  Fistula  Lacrymalis.  It  has  occasionally  existed 
in  colts,  and  will  require  immediate  and  peculiar  treatment. 


COMMON  INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  EYE. 

The  conjunctiva  is  occasionally  the  seat  of  great  disease,  and 
that  which  is  too  often  destructive  to  the  eye.  Inflammation  of 
the  eye  may  i)e  considered  under  two  forms — the  common  and 
manageable,  and  the  specific  and  fatal.  The  Common  Inflam- 
mation is  generally  sudden  in  its  attack.  The  lids  will  be  found 
swelled  and  the  eyes  partially  closed,  and  some  weeping.  The 
inside  of  the  lid  will  be  red,  some  red  streaks  visible  on  the  white 
of  the  eye,  and  the  cornea  slightly  dim.  This  is  occasionally 
connected  with  some  degree  of  catarrh  or  cold  ;  but  it  is  as  often 
unaccompanied  by  this,  and  depends  on  external  irritation,  as  a 
blow,  or  the  presence  of  a  bit  of  hay-seed  or  oat-husk  within  the 
lid,  and  towards  the  outer  corner  where  the  haw  cannot  reach  it : 
therefore  the  lids  should  ahvays  be  carefully  examined  as  to  this 
possible  source  of  the  complaint.  The  health  of  the  animal  is 
generally  unafi^ected — he  feeds  well,  and  performs  his  work  with 
his  usual  spirit.  Cooling  applications  to  the  eye,  as  the  Goulard's 
extract  or  tincture  of  opium,  with  mash-diet,  and  gentle  physic, 
will  usually  abate  the  evil ;  or  the  mflammation  will  subside 
without  medical  treatment. =^ 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — Unless  this  disease  is  connected  with  influenza, 
or  some  other  malady  affecting  the  whole  system,  it  is  usually  produced  by 
external  violence,  and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  may  be  distinguished  from 
specific  ophthalmia.  When  caused  by  a  blow,  there  is  in  addition  to  swelling 
of  the  lids,  and  a  large  effusion  of  tears,  a  considerable  dimness  or  opacity 
on  the  surface  of  the  eye,  whilst  at  the  same  time  the  interior  is  compara- 
tively free  from  disease.  In  specific  ophthalmia,  there  is  a  greater  amount 
of  disease  in  the  interior  of  the  eye,  and  little  if  any  opacity  of  the  cornea. 
When  connected  with  influenza  there  is  much  swelling  of  the  lids,  and  a 
great  flow  of  tears,  while  the  eye  itself  is  tok-rably  free  from  injury ;  and 
when  it  proceeds  from  a  cold,  there  is  usually  a  thick  matter,  or  mucus,  dis- 


94  OPHTHALMIA. 


SPECIFIC  OPHTHALMIA,  OR  MOON-BLINDNESS. 

Should  three  or  four  days  pass,  and  the  inflammation  not  be 
abated,,  we  may  begin  to  suspect  that  it  is  Ophthalmia,  especially 
if  the  eye  is  very  impatient  of  light,  and  the  cornea  is  considerably 
clouded  The  aqueous  humor  then  often  loses  its  transparency — 
even  the  iris  changes  its  color,  and  the  pupil  is  exceedingly  con- 
tracted. The  veterinary  surgeon  has  now  an  obstinate  disease  to 
combat,  and  one  that  will  generally  maintain  its  ground  in  spite 
of  all  his  efforts.  For  three,  or  four,  or  five  weeks,  the  inflam- 
mation will  remain  undiminished  ;  or  if  it  appears  to  yield  on  one 
day,  it  will  return  with  redoubled  violence  on  the  next.  A.t 
length,  and  often  unconnected  with  any  of  the  means  that  have 
been  used,  the  eye  begins  to  bear  the  light,  the  redness  of  the 
membrane  of  the  lid  disappears,  the  cornea  clears  up,  and  the 
only  vestige  of  disease  which  remains  is  a  slight  thickening  of 
the  lids  and  apparent  uneasiness  when  exposed  to  a  very  strong 
light. 

If  the  owner  imagines  that  he  has  got  rid  of  the  diseE.se,  he 
will  be  sadly  disappointed,  for,  in  the  course  of'  six  weeks,  or 
two  months,  either  the  same  eye  undergoes  a  second  and  similar 
attack,  or  the  other  one  becomes  affected.  All  again  seems  to 
pass  over,  except  that  the  eye  is  not  so  perfectly  restored,  and 
a  slight,  deeply-seated  cloudiness  begins  to  appear ;  and  after 
repeated  attacks,  and  alternations  of  disease  firom  eye  to  eye, 
the  affair  terminates  in  opacity  of  the  lens  or  its  capsule,  at- 
tended with  perfect  blindness  either  of  one  eye  or  both.  This 
affection  was  formerly  known  by  the  name  of  moon-blindness, 
from  its  periodical  return,  and  some  supposed  influence  of  the 
moon.  That  body,  however,  has  not,  and  cannot  have,  anything 
to  do  with  it. 

What  is  the  practitioner  doing  all  this  while  ?  He  is  an 
anxious  and  busy,  but  almost  powerless  spectator.  He  foments 
the  eyes  with  warm  water,  or  applies  cold  lotions,  with  the  ex- 
tract of  lead  or  opium,  or  poultices  to  which  these  drugs  may  be 
added  ;  he  bleeds,  not  from  the  temporal  artery,  for  that  does 
not  supply  the  orbit  of  the  eye,  but  from  the  angular  vein  at 
the  inner  corner  of  the  eye,  or  he  scarifies  the  lining  of  the  lid, 
or  subtracts  a  considerable  quantity  of  blood  from  the  jugular 
vein.  The  scarifying  of  the  conjunctiva,  which  may  be  easily 
accomplished  without  a  -twitch,   by  exposing  the   inside  of  the 

charged  from  the  corner  of  the  eye  after  the  first  day  or  two.  A  cut  from 
a  whip  generally  leaves  a  streak  on  the  surface  of  the  eye  (unless  the  in- 
jury is  sufficient  to  involve  the  whole  surface),  and  this  streak  sometimes 
becomes  permanent. 


OPHTHALMIA.  95 

lids,  and  drawing  a  keen  lancet  slightly  over  them,  is  the  most 
effectual  of  all  ways  to  ahate  inflammation,  for  we  are  then  im- 
mediately miloadiug  the  distended  vessels.  He  places  his  seton? 
in  the  cheek,  or  his  rowels  imder  the  jaw;  and  he  keeps  the 
animal  low,  and  gives  physic  or  fever  medicine  (digitalis,  nitre 
and  emetic  tartar).  The  disease,  hoAvever,  ebbs  and  flows,  re 
treats  and  attacks,  until  it  reaches  its  natural  termination,  blind 
iiess  of  one  or  both  eyes. 

The  horse  is  more  subject  to  this  disease  from  the  age  of  foui 
to  six  years.  Every  affection  of  the  eye  appearing  about  tliia 
age,  should  be  regarded  with  suspicion.  The  eye  should  be 
most  carefully  observed  at  the  time  of  purchase,  and  the  ex- 
aminer should  be  fully  aware  of  the  minute  indications  of  dis- 
ease. They  are  a  slight  thickening  of  the  lids,  or  puckering  tow- 
ards the,  inner  comer  of  the  eye  ;  a  difference  in  the  apparent 
size  of  the  eyes  ;  a  cloudiness,  although  perhaps  scarcely  per- 
ceptible, of  the  surface  of  the  cornea,  or  more  deeply  seated, 
or  a  hazy  circle  round  its  edge  ;  a  gloominess  of  eye  generally, 
and  dulness  of  the  iris ;  or  a  minute,  faint,  dusky  spot  in  the 
centre,  with  or  without  minute  fibres  or  lines  diverging  from  it. 

There  is  undoubtedly  a  strong  predisposition  to  this  inflamma 
tion  in  the  eye  of  the  horse,  but  it  is  assisted  by  the  heated  and 
empoisoned  air  of  many  stables.  The  dung  and  urine  of  the 
horse,  and  the  litter  when  becoming  putrid,  emit  fumes  of  vola- 
tile alkali,  or  hartshorn.  We  need  not  wonder  at  the  prevalence 
of  inflammation  m  the  eye  of  the  stable  horse,  nor  at  the  diffi- 
culty in  abating  it,  while  this  organ  contmues  much  exposed  to 
the  effect  of  this  pungent  gas. 

Dark  stables  are  another  cause  of  ophthalmia.  Let  the  horse 
be  led  several  times  a  day  from  a  dark  room  into  a  full  glare 
of  light,  and  the  sight  will  become  disordered,  the  eyes  weak, 
and  disposed  to  take  on  sudden  inflammation,  with  all  its  fatal 
results. 

The  disease  is  also  in  a  high  degree  hereditary.  A  stallion  with 
defective  sight  should  never  be  employed. 

The  most  frequent  consequences  of  this  disease  are  cloudiness 
of  the  eye,  and  cataract.  The  cloudiness  is  singular  in  its  nature. 
It  will  change  in  twenty-four  hours  from  the  thinnest  film  to  the 
thickest  opacity,  and,  as  suddenly,  the  eye  Avill  nearly  regain  its 
perfect  transparency,  but  only  to  lose  it,  and  as  rapidly,  a  second 
time. 

Chalk,  salt,  sugar,  and  even  pounded  glass  have  been  intro- 
duced into  the  eye  to  remove  the  film,  but  we  need  not  say  that 
the  effect  of  such  remedies  would  be  to  recall  the  inflammation, 
and  that  they  are  utterly  barbarous.  Where  the  cloudiness  can 
bo  removed,  it  will  be  best  effected  by  first  abating  inflamma 


96  OPHTHALMIA. 

tion,  and  then  exciting  the  absorbents  to  take  up  the  gray  de 
posit,  by  washing  the  eye  with  a  very  weak  solution  of  corrosive 
subhmate. 

Opacity  of  the  lens  is  another  consequence  of  inflammation. 
A  white  speck  appears  on  the  centre  of  the  lens,  which  gradually 
spreads  over  it,  and  completely  covers  it.  It  is  generally  so 
white  and  pearly  as  not  to  be  mistaken — at  other  times  it  is 
more  hazy,  deceiving  the  inexperienced,  and  occasioning  doubt  in 
the  mind  of  professional  men.  We  have  seen  many  instances  in 
which  the  sight  has  been  considerably  affected  or  almost  lost,  and 
yet  the  horse  has  been  pronounced  sound  by  very  fair  judges.  The 
eye  must  be  exposed  to  the  light,  and  yet  under  the  kind  of 
shelter  which  has  been  already  described,  in  order  to  discover  the 
defect.  The  pupil  of  the  horse  is  seldom  black,  like  that  of  the 
human  being,  and  its  grayish  hue  conceals  the  recent  or  thin  film 
that  may  be  spreading  over  the  lens. 

Confirmed  cataract  in  the  eye  of  the  horse  admits  of  no  remedy. 
But  slight  cataracts  come  and  go,  sometimes  withou"',  ♦  ny  pre- 
vious inflammation,  and  without  leading  to  blindness.  Still  it  is 
a  serious  thing  at  all  times,  and,  although  existing  in  the  minut- 
est degree,  it  is  unsoundness,  and  very  materially  lessens  the 
value  of  the  horse. 

Mr.  Percival  says  the  best  way  of  distinguishing  between  this 
transient  cataract,  and  that  which  is  the  consequence  of  ophthal- 
mia, is  the  general  appearance  of  the  eye.  If  perfectly  clear  and 
healthy,  we  should  infer  it  was  the  former,  but  the  slightest  trace 
of  prior  or  present  inflammation  would  lead  us  to  suspect  the 
latter.* 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — With  regard  to  the  causes  of  these  diseases,  we 
agree  with  the  author  in  ascribing  much  to  the  ammoniacal  fumes  which 
escape  from  the  urine,  to  which  we  would  add  high  stimulating  food  and 
great  exertion  in  harness.  We  believe,  also,  that  improved  stabhng  and 
better  ventilation  has  lessened  the  frequency  of  these  ocular  cases.  Horsts 
with  small  pig  eyes  are  much  more  liable  to  ophthalmia  than  those  with 
laro;e  prominent  eyes ;  and  thus,  as  the  former  are  more  frequently  found 
with  horses  deficient  in  breeding,  it  may  account  for  the  opinion  which  is 
popularly  entertained,  that  black  horses  are  more  liable  to  blindness  than 
others,  these  horses  being  generally  deficient  in  breeding. 

With  regard  to  the  treatment  of  these  diseases,  we  have  little  to  add  to 
that  detailed  in  the  text.  Inflammation  is  the  leading  feature  in  all,  and 
therefore  should  be  met  by  active  antiphlogistic  treatment.  An  active  dose 
of  physic  should  be  given,  as  soon  as  the  horse  is  prepared,  by  mashes 
and,  in  the  meantime,  three  or  four  quarts  of  blood  should  be  taken  frou 
the  neck,  on  the  same  side  as  the  affected  eye.  The  eyelids  should  also  be 
scarified,  then  well  fomented  with  warm  water  ;  after  which  we  have  de- 
rived great  assistance  from  putting  linseed  poultices,  in  linen  bags,  on  the 
eyes,  by  means  of  leather  blinds.  These  should  be  continued  during  the 
day,  and  may  serve  as  the  vehicle  for  the  application  of  opiate  or  Goulard 
lotions,  which,  applied  in  the  visual  way,  are  but  of  little  service.     By  this" 


GUTTA    SERENA.  97 


GUTTA  SERENA. 

Another  species  of  blindness,  and  of  which  mention  was  made 
vvhen  describing  the  retina,  is  Gutta  Serena,  commonly  called 
glass  eye.  The  pupil  is  more  than  usually  dilated :  iit  is  im- 
movable, and  bright,  and  glassy.  This  is  palsy  of  the  optic 
nerve,  or  its  expansion,  the  retina ;  and  is  usually  produced  by 
determination  of  blood  to  the  head.  It  is  the  kind  of  blindness 
which  we  have  described,  as  sometimes  resulting  from  the  pres- 
sure on  the  base  of  the  brain,  and  the  consequent  injury  to  the 
function  of  the  nerve,  in  staggers. 

The  treatment  of  Gutta  Serena  is  quite  as  difficult  as  that  of 
cataract.  We  have  heard  of  successful  cases,  but  we  never  saw 
one  ;  nor  should  we  be  disposed  to  incur  much  expense  in  en- 
deavoring to  accomplish  impossibilities.  Reasoning  from  the 
cause  of  the  disease,  we  should  bleed  and  physic,  and  administer 
the  strj^chnine  in  doses,  commencing  at  half  a  grain,  and  not 
exceeding  two  grains,  morning  and  night — very  carefully  watch- 
ing it.  If  we  succeed,  it  must  be  by  constitutional  treatment. 
As  to  local  treatment,  the  seat  of  the  disease  is  out  of  our  reach. ^ 

prompt  and  active  treatment  a  great  deal  of  good  can  be  accomplished, 
and  the  loss  of  sight  may  be  greatly  postponed.  It  is  useless  to  attempt 
half  measures ;  we  should  either  treat  actively  or  not  at  all.  After  the  vio- 
lence of  the  inflammation  has  subsided,  much  benefit  may  be  obtained  by 
putting  a  few  drops  of  the  wine  of  opium  into  the  eye  twice  a  daj 

Cataract. 

Cataract  may  be  either  partial  or  complete ;  and  again,  it  may  either 
succeed  the  violent  disease  before  spoken  of,  or  it  may  gradually  come  on 
with  very  little  previous  inflammation.  It  admits  also  of  another  impor- 
tant division.  It  may  be  either  a  cataract  of  the  lens  itself,  or  merely  of 
the  membrane  whicli  covers  it.  The  latter  may  come  on  without  any 
noticeable  inflammation  ;  appearing  as  one  or  two  small  specks  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  eye,  about  the  size  of  a  pin's  head.  It  is  very  important  to 
distinguish  between  these  different  kinds  of  cataracts,  inasmuch  as,  whilst 
the  former  is  irremovable,  the  latter  is  very  frequently  absorbed  without 
any  external  treatment.  Whilst  the  former  is  often  pearly  white,  and  com- 
pletely opaque,  so  far  as  it  exists,  the  latter  is  gray  and  less  opaque.  Tt 
requires  a  considerable  amount  of  tact,  as  well  as  experience,  to  discover 
these  small  incipient  cataracts,  and  to  discriminate  between  the  one  kind 
and  tlie  other. 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spoor) er. — This  disease  is  sometimes  connected  with 
diseased  liver,  particularly  a  rupture  of  its  coats,  when  the  blindness  may 
shift  from  one  eye  to  the  other.  Although  this  disease  is  generally  but 
little  under  the  influence  of  treatment,  we  have  met  with  successful  cases 
in  young  animals.  The  treatment  should  principally  be  directed  to  the 
removal  of  the  cause  which  produces  the  disease. 

E 
7 


98  DISEASES    OF    THE    EAR DEAFNESS. 


DISEASES   OF   THE   EAR. 

Wounds  oi"  the  ear  are  usually  the  consequence  of  cart  less  ot 
brutal  treatment — often  of  the  application  of  th^  twitch  or  the 
pliers.  These  bruises  or  wounds  will  generally  speedily  heal ; 
but  sinuses  and  abscesses  are  sometimes  the  result.  A  simple 
laceration  of  the  cartilage  is  easily  remedied.  The  divided 
edges  are  brought  together,  the  head  tied  up  closely  a  few  days, 
and  all  is  well ;  but  where  ulceration  of  the  skin  and  subja- 
cent parts,  and  caries  of  the  cartilage  take  place,  deep  sinuses 
will  be  formed,  and  the  wound  will  bid  defiance  to  medical 
treatment.  I  had  a  case  of  this  kind  under  my  care  for  more 
than  two  months,  and  finally  had  to  cut  off  the  ear.  The 
lunar  caustic,  or  the  muriate  of  antimony,  or  the  heated  iron, 
must  be  early  employed,  or  all  labor  will  be  in  vain. 

I  have  seen  two  cases  where  the  auditory  passage  was  closed, 
and  the  hearing  destroyed — the  result  of  violent  blows.  When 
there  is  swelling  about  the  root  of  the  ear  and  the  fluctuation 
of  a  fluid  within  can  be  detected,  it  should  be  opened  with  a 
lancet,  and  the  purulent  fluid  liberated.  The  incision  should  be 
of  considerable  length,  or  the  opening  will  soon  close.  It  should 
not  be  permitted  to  close  until  the  abscess  is  obliterated. 

The  size  and  carrying  of  the  ear  may  be  changed.  The  first 
is  done  by  clipping  them  to  the  requisite  size.  If  they  hang 
down  too  much,  a  fold  of  the  skin  is  pinched  up  and  cut  away, 
on  either  side  of  the  occipital  bone,  and  in  a  straight  line  for 
ward  and  backward.  The  divided  edges  are  then  brought  to- 
gether, confined  by  two  or  three  stitches,  and  they  presently 
unite.  If  the  ears  are  too  close  together,  this  fault  may  be  cor- 
rected by  another  piece  of  cruelty.  Similar  slips  of  skin  are 
cut  away  on  the  outside  base  of  the  ear,  and  in  the  same  direc- 
tion. The  edges  of  the  wound  are  then  brought  together,  con- 
fir  ed  by  stitches,  and  the  ears  are  drawn  further  apart  from  each 
other,  and  have  different  directions  given  to  them.  A  very 
slight  examination  of  either  of  the  horses  will  readily  detect  the 
imposition. 

DEAFNESS. 

Of  the  occasional  existence  of  this  in  the  horse,  there  is  no 
doubt.  The  beautiful  play  of  the  ears  has  ceased,  and  the 
horse  hears  not  the  voice  of  his  master,  or  the  sound  of  the 
whip.  Much  of  the  apparent  stupidity  of  a  few  horses  is  at- 
tributable to  their  imperfect  hearing.  It  is  the  result  of  certain 
diseases,  blows,  and,  as  in  other  domesticated  animals,  is  the 
certain  accompaniment  of  old  age.     It  is  incurable. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  DISEASES  OF  THE  NOSE  AND  MOUTH 

We  now  proceed  to  a  description  of  the  face,  or  lower  part 
of  the  head  of  the  horse.  The  nasal  bones,  or  bones  of  the 
nose  {j  j,  Fig.  2,  and  a.  Fig.  3),  are  connected  with  the  frontal 
bones  above,  and  with  the  lacrymal,  i  i,  and  the  bones  of  the 
upper  jaw,  I  I,  on  either  side.  They  are  united  together  by  a 
plain  suture,  which  is  a  continuation  of  the  frontal,  and  they  ter- 
minate in  a  point  at  the  nostril  [p,  Fig.  2).  They  are  rounded 
and  arched  above,  because  they  are  exposed  to  occasional  violence 
and  injury,  which  the  arch-form  will  enable  them  best  to  resist ; 
and  at  the  base  of  the  arch,  where  the  main  strength  should 
be,  they  are  overlapped  by  the  upper  jaw-bone,  as  the  temporal 
bone  overlaps  the  base  of  the  parietal.  These  bones  form  a  prin- 
cipal part  of  the  face  ;  and  the  length,  or  shortness,  and  the 
character  of  the  face,  depend  upon  them.  Sometimes  there  is 
an  appearance  of  two  little  arches,  with  a  depression  between 
them  along  the  sutures.  This  is  often  found  in  the  blood-horse, 
with  his  comparatively  broad  head  and  face.  The  single  ele- 
vated arch  is  found  in  the  long  and  narrow  face  of  the  heavy 
draught-horse. 

The  profile  of  the  horse  has  been  supposed  by  many,  and 
probably  with  some  truth,  to  be  indicative  of  his  temper.  The 
straight  profile  may  be  accompanied  with  a  good  or  bad  temper,  but 
not  otten  either  in  any  great  excess.  The  one  with  a  prominent 
Roman  nose,  is  usually  an  easy,  good-tempered,  hardy  beast, 
ready  enough  to  feed,  not  always,  perhaps,  so  ready  to  work, 
but  may  be  made  to  do  his  duty  without  any  cruel  urging,  and 
having  no  extraordinary  pretension  to  speed  or  blood.  On  the 
other  hand,  a  depression  across  the  centre  of  the  nose  generally 
indicates  some  breeding,  especially  if  the  head  is  small,  but  occa 
sionally  accompanied  by  a  vicious,  uncontrollable  disposition. 

There  is  another  way,  however,  in  Avhich  the  nasal  bones  do 
more  certainly  indicate  the  breed,  viz.,  by  their  comparative  length 
or  shortness.     There  is  no  surer  criterion  of  a  well-bred  horse, 


I    M>  ANATOMY    AND    DISEASES    OF 

than  a  broad  angular  forehead,  prominent  features,  and  a  short 
face  ;  nor  of  a  horse  with  little  breeding,  than  a  narrow  forehead 
small  features,  and  lengthened  nose.  The  comparative  develop 
ment  of  the  head  and  face  indicates,  with  little  error,  the  pre 
ponderance  of  the  animal  or  intellectual  principle. 

Fracture  of  the  nasal  bones  of  the  horse  will  sometimes  occui 
from  falling,  or  a  kick  from  the  companion,  or  the  brutality  of 
the  attendant.  It  is  generally  followed  by  laceration  of  .the  lin 
ing  membrane  of  the  nostrils,  and  by  haemorrhage.  The  bleed 
ing  may  usually  be  arrested  by  the  application  of  cold  watei 
externally.  In  spontaneous  hsemorrhage,  this  decs  not  often 
succeed  until  a  considerable  quantity  of  blood  is  lost. 

In  cases  of  fracture  of  the  nasal  bones,  the  assistance  of  a 
veterinary  surgeon  is  indispensable.  He  alone  knows  the  precise 
anatomy  of  the  parts,  and  will  have  recourse  to  the  elevator  or 
the  trephine,  as  circumstances  may  require. 

Ozena  sometimes  follows  these  wounds,  or  foundation  may  be 
laid  for  the  appearance  of  glanders. 

Spontaneous  bleeding  from  the  nose  must  be  carefully  attended 
to.  It  may  proceed  from  an  over  fulness  of  the  blood  vessels  of 
the  membrane  of  the  nose,  consequent  on  very  high  condition,  or 
from  the  lungs.  If  from  the  nostril  alone,  it  will  usually  be  con- 
fined to  one  side  ;  if  from  the  lungs,  the  discharge  is  from  both 
nostrils,  and  generally  mingled  with  mucus  or  froth  ;  and  there 
is  also  a  quickened  respiration,  and  more  or  less  cough. 

If  it  is  apparently  connected  with  some  slight  cause,  a  dose  of 
physic  and  quietness  for  a  day  or  two  will  be  sufficient,  and,  if 
necessary,  a  slight  solution  of  alum  may  be  injected  up  the  nos- 
stril.  If  the  bleeding  is  apparently  from  the  lungs,  a  more  se- 
rious evacuation  will  be  required. 

These  bones  form  the  roof  of  an  important  cavity  (see  <2, 
Fig.  3).  The  sides  are  constituted  above  by  the  nasal  bones, 
and,  lower  down,  by  the  upper  jaw-bones  {sujjerior  inaxillaries), 
while  plates  from  these  latter  bones  project  and  compose  the  pal- 
ate, which  is  both  the  floor  of  the  nose  and  the  roof  of  the 
mouth  {t,  Fig.  3.)  Above  (near  8),  not  visible  in  our  cut,  is  a 
bone  called  the  palatine,  although  it  contributes  very  little  ta 
the  formation  of  the  palate.  It  is  the  termination  of  the  palate, 
or  the  border  of  the  opening  where  the  cavities  of  the  mouth  and 
nose  meet  (8).  The  frontal  sinuses,  h,  and  large  vacuities  in  the 
upper  jaw-bone,  and  in  the  sethmoid,  I,  and  sphenoid  bones,  k, 
communicate  with  and  enlarge  the  cavity  of  the  nose. 

This  cavity  is  divided  into  two  parts  by  a  cartilage  called  the 
Septum  (see  r.  Fig.  3.)  It  is  of  considerable  thickness  and 
strength,  and  divides  the  cavity  of  the  nose  into  two  equal  parts. 
It  is  placed  in  the  centre  for  the  purpose  of  strength,  and  it  is 


101 


formed  of  cartilage,  in  order  that,  by  its  gradual  yielding  resist- 
ance, it  may  neutralize  almost  any  force  that  may  be  applied 
to  it. 

When  we  open  the  nostril,  we  see  the  membrane  lining  the 
whole  cavity  of  the  nose,  by  the  color  of  which,  much  more  than 
by  that  of  the  lining  of  the  eye-lids,  we  judge  of  the  degree  of 
fever,  and  particularly  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  or  of  any 
of  the  air  passages.  The  cut  above  shows  the  ramification  of  the 
arterial  and  venous  blood-vessels  on  this  membrane.  Certain 
ulcerations  on  it  also  betray  the  existence  of  glanders. 

The  nasal  cavity  is,  on  either  side,  ocfupied  by  two  bones, 
which,  from  their  being  rolled  up  somewhat  in  the  form  of  a 
turban,  are  called  the  turhinated  or  turban-shajied  bones,  (s  s, 
Fig.  3.)  ;  part  of  the  cartilage  is  cut  away  in  our  cut  in  order 
to  display  them.  They  are  as  thin  as  gauze,  and  perforated,  like 
gauze,  with  a  thousand  holes.  Between  them  are  left  sufficient 
passages  for  the  air.  ^Spread  out,  they  would  occupy  a  consider- 
able surface.  Over  them  is  spread  the  substance  or  pulp  of"  the 
olfactory  nerves,  whicli  makes  them  the  seat  of  smell  ;  and  they 
are  thus  expanded,  because  by  the  sense  of  smell,  the  horse  must 
in  a  great  degree  "supply  the  want  of  that  of  touch.  They  also 
enable  him  to  distinguish  his  proper  herbage,  detect  distant  dan- 
ger ;  and  they,  like  the  windings  of  a  horn,  give  loudness  to  his 
voice. 

The  extension  of  the  nostril  at  the  lower  part  of  these  cavi- 
ties is  an  important  part  of  the  face,  and  intimately  connected 
with  breeding,  courage,  and  speed.  The  horse  can  breathe  only 
through  the  nose.  All  the  air  which  goes  to  and  returns  from 
the  lungs,  must  pass  through  the  nostrils.  In  the  common  act 
of  breathing,  these  are  sufficiently  large  ;  but  when  the  animal 
is  put  on  his  speed,  and  the  respiration  is  quickened,  these  pas- 


102 


MUSCLES,    ETC.,    Of    THE    HEAD. 


sages  must  dilate,  or  he  will  be  much  distressed.  The  expanded 
nostril  is  a  striking  feature  in  the  blood-horse,  especially  when 
he  has  been  excited  and  not  over-blown.  The  nostril  should  be 
proportioned  to  the  kind  of  labor  we  require  from  the  animal — 
larger  in  proportion  to  the  activity  of  the  labor,  and  the  conse- 
quent liability  of  being  blown. 

Some  very  powerful  muscles  proceed  from  different  parts  of 
the  face  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  nostrils,  in  order  to  draAV 
them  ba'sk  and  dilate  them.  Four  of  these  are  given  in  the 
following  cut,  which  is  inserted  to  complete  our  present  subject, 
and  which  will  be  often  referred  to  in  the  course  of  our  work  ; 
Z,  m,  0,  and  2^,  are  muscles  employed  for  this  purpose. 

THE  MUSCLES,  NERVES,  AND  BLOOD-VESSELS  OF  THE  HEAD  AND 
UPPER  PART  OF  THE  NECK. 


Fig.  12. 


a  The  upper  part  of  the  ligament  of  the  neck. 

b  The  levator  hnmen  (elevator  of  the  shoulder),  arising  from  the  tubercle  of  tho 
occiput,  the  mastoid  (nipple-shaped)  process  of  the  temporal  bone,  and  the 
transverse  processes  (cross  projections)  of  the  four  first  bones  of  the  neck, 
and  the  ligament  of  the  neck,  and  going  to  the  muscles  of  the  shoulders,  and 
the  upper  bone  of  the  arm;  to  draw  forward  the  shoulder  and  arm;  or  turn 
the  head  and  neck;  and,  when  the  two  levators  act,  to  depress  the  head. 

c  The  tendon  common  to  the  coinplexna  major  (larger  complicated),  and  splenins 
(splint-like)  •  to  the  mastoid  process  of  tlie  temporal  bone,  to  hold  up  the  head, 
or,  the  muscles  on  one  side  alone  acting,  to  turn  it. 

d  The  xterno-inoxillarifi  (l)elonging  to  the  breastbone)  and  upper  jaw,  from  tbs 
cartilage  in  front  of  the  chest  to  the  angle  of  tlie  lower  jaw :  to  bend  the  head, 
or,  if  one  only  acts,  to  bend  it  on  one  side. 

«  Tho  st^/o-maxi/lnris,  from  the  styloid  (pencil-shaped)  or  coracoid  (beak-shaped) 
process  of  the  occiput,  to  the  angle  of  the  jaw  :  to  pull  the  jaw  backward  and 
open  it. 


MUSCLES,    ETC.,    OF    THE    HEAD.  103 

/  The  anbarnpnlo  hyoideuR,  from  under  the  .shouMor-blade,  to  the  body  of  iho  ox 
/ii/o/dcs  (the  bone  at  the  root  of  the  tongue  formed  like  a  Greek  v,  v)  :  to  draw 
buck  that  bone. 

gr  The  massefer  (chewins") ;  a  nio-^t  powerful  muscle,  constituting  the  check  of  the 
horse :- -from  the  upper  jaw  bone  into  the  rough  surface  round  tlie  anurle  of 
the  lower:  in  conjunction  with  the  temporal  muscle  to  close  the  mouth  and 
chew  the  food. 

h  The  orbiciilarix  (circular)  surrounding  the  eye  and  closing  the  lids. 

t  The  zyqomaticnx,  from  the  zygomatic  arch  and  masseter  to  the  corner  of  the 
mouth,  to  draw  back  the  angle  of  the  mouth. 

h  The  buccinator  (trumpeter),  from  the  inside  of  the  mouth  and  cheeks,  to  the 
angle  of  the  mouth,  to  draw  it  back. 

I  The  vaxalis  labii  siiperioris  (belonging  to  the  nose  and  upper  lip),  from  a  depres- 
sion at  the  junction  of  the  superior  maxillary  and  malar  bones,  to  the  angle 
of  the  nostril:  to  raise  the  lip,  and  dilate  the  no-strils. 

m  Dilator  naris  lateralis  (side  dilator  of  the  nostril),  reversed  to  show  the  vessels 
and  nerves  which  it  covers,  going  from  the  covering  of  the  nasal  and  frontal 
bones,  to  the  angle  of  the  mouth,  and  side  of  the  nostril :  to  retract  the  upper 
lip  and  dilate  the  nostrils. 

n  Dilator  magnus  (great  dilator),  assisting  in  the  same  office. 

o  Deprenxor  labii  inferioris  (puller  down  of  the  under  lip),  to  the  sides  of  the  un- 
der lip  :  to  pull  it  down. 

p  Orbicularis  oris  (circular  muscle  of  the  mouth),  surrounding  the  mouth :  to 
close  the  lips  and  dilate  the  nostrils. 

q  The  upper  portion  of  the  parotid  gland  (gland  near  the  ear)  reversed,  to  show 
the  blood-vessels  and  nerves  beneath  it. 

r  The  parotid  duct  piercing  the  cheek,  to  discharge  the  saliva  into  the  mouth. 

s  The  maxillary  gland  (gland  of  the  lower  jaw)  with  its  duct. 

t   The  jugular  (neck)  vein,  after  the  two  branches  have  united. 

71  At  this  letter,  the  submaxillary  artery,  a  branch  of  the  jugular,  and  the  parotid 
duct,  pa.ss  under  and  within  the  angle  of  the  lower  jaw  ;  they  come  out  again 
at  «•,  and  climb  up  the  cheek  to  be  distributed  over  the  face. 

V  The  vein  and  artery,  passing  under  the  zygomatic  arch. 

c  A  branch  of  the  tifth  pair,  the  sensitive  nerve  of  the  face,  emerging  from  under 
the  parotid  gland. 

/  The  main  branch  oi' the  j)ortio  dura  (hard  portion)  of  the  seventh  pair,  Xheviotor 
(moving)  nerve  of  the  face  coming  out  from  beneath  the  parotid  gland,  to 
spread  over  the  face. 

z  Branches  of  both  nerves,  with  small  blood-vessels. 

There  are  also  four  distinct  cartilages  attached  to  the  nostrils, 
which,  by  their  elasticity,  bring  back  the  nostrils  to  their  former 
dimensions,  as  soon  as  the  muscles  cease  to  act.  The  bones  of 
the  nose  {a  a,  Fig.  2,  and  Fig.  3),  are  also  sharpened  off  to  a 
point,  to  give  wider  range  for  the  action  of  the  muscles  ;  while 
the  cartilages  are  so  contrived,  as  not  only  to  discharge  the 
office  we  have  mentioned,  but  to  protect  this  projection  of  bone 
from  injury. 

The  membrane  of  the  nose,  as  already  stated,  is  an  excellent 
guide  to  the  degree  and  character  of  many  diseases.  In  health, 
and  uninfluenced  by  exercise,  that  portion  of  the  membrane  seen 
in  the  nostrils  is  a  pale  uniform  pink.  An  increased  blush  of 
red  betokens  some  excitement  of  the  system — a  streaked  appear- 
ance, inflammation  commenced — intense  redness,  acute  inflam- 
mation— pale  ground  with  patches  of  vivid  red,  half-subdued 
but  still  existing  fever — uniform  color,  but  somewhat  redder  than 
natural,  a  return  to  healthy  circulation — paleness  approacliinor 


104  NASAL    POLYPUS — NASAL    DISCHARGE. 

to  white,  debility — and  dark  livid  color,  approaching  stagnation 
of  the  vital  current. 

NASAL  POLYPUS. 

By  the  polypus,  is  meant  an  excrescence  or  tumor,  varying  in 
size,  structure,  and  consistence,  and  attached  by  a  pedicle  to  a 
mucous  surface. 

The  nasal  polypus  usually  adheres  to  some  portion  of  the 
superior  turbinated  bone,  or  it  has  come  from  some  of  the  sin- 
uses connected  with  that  cavity. 

As  it  increases  in  weight,  it  elongates  that  sac  of  the  schnide- 
rian  membrane  which  invests  it,  and  it  descends  in  the  nose.  It 
is  of  a  pear  form,  and  differs  in  weight  from  a  few  drachms  to 
three  or  four  pounds. 

When  it  descends  so  that  it  can  fairly  be  got  at  with  the  fin- 
gers, the  forceps,  or  (for  it  possesses  little  sensibility)  the  tenta- 
culum,  it  must  be  car^ully  and  gently  drawn  out,  and  a  liga- 
ment passed  tightly  round  the  neck  or  pedicle  of  il,  as  high  up 
as  convenient,  and  then  if  practicable,  it  should  be  returned  into 
the  nostril.  It  will  slough  off  in  a  few  days,  with  very  little 
inconvenience  to  the  horse.  If  it  cannot  be  returned,  it  should 
be  cut  off  below  the  ligature.  If  the  ligature  is  drawn  suffi- 
ciently tightly,  not  much  hemorrhage  will  often  ensue.  Cau 
teiy  may  be  resorted  to  to  stop  bleeding,  as  a  last  resort,  in  case 
of  obstinate  hemorrhage,  but  it  is  objectionable  on  account  of 
the  degree  of  irritation  it  produces,  and  the  difficulty  of  safely 
resorting  to  it  in  such  a  situation.  In  very  bad  cases,  Avhere  the 
tumor  cannot  be  drawn  out,  it  may  be  necessary  to  slit  up  the 
side  of  the  nostril,  but  in  that  case  the  false  nostril  should  not  be 
cut  through,  as  from  its  thinness  it  is  difficult  to  confine  the 
edges  securely  together  until  they  unite.  The  incision  should 
be  made  along  the  lateral  edge  of  the  nasal  bone,  beginning  at 
its  point.  The  flap  will  then  conveniently  turn  down,  so  as  to 
expose  the  cavity,  and  there  will  be  sufficient  muscular  sub- 
stance to  secure  an  almost  certain  union  by  the  first  intention, 
when  stitched  properly  together.* 

NASAL  GLEET,  OR   DISCHARGE  FROM  THE  NOSE. 

There  is  a  constant  secretion  of  fluid  to  lubricate  and  moisten 
the  membrane  that  lines  the  cavity  of  the  nose,  and  which,  un- 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spoonpr. — Still  more  rarely  we  find  a  bony  tumor  forming 
in  ths  nostrils,  nearly  obstructing  all  passage,  and  .-ausing  a  (li>charge  some- 
what resembling  that  of  glanders.  This,  like  the  f?rmer,  should  be  removed 
if  possible  by  an  operation. 


OZENA.  105 

cler  catarrh  or  cold,  is  increased  in  quantity,  and  altered  in  ap- 
pearance and  consistence.  Tliis  will  properly  belonir  to  the  a.-- 
count  of  catarrh  or  cold  ;  but  that  wiiicli  is  innnediately  undei 
consideration,  is  a  continued  and  oftentimes  proi'use  discharge  of 
thickened  mucus,  when  every  symptom  of  catarrh  and  fever  has 
passed  away.  If  the  horse  is  at  grass,  the  discharge  is  almost  as 
green  as  the  food  on  which  he  lives ; — or  if  he  is  stabled,  it  is 
white,  or  straw-coloured,  or  brown,  or  even  bloody,  and  some- 
times purulent.  It  is  either  constantly  running,  or  snorted  out 
in  masses  many  times  a  day  ;  teazing  the  horse,  and  becoming  a 
perfect  nuisance  in  the  stable,  and  to  the  rider.  This  has  been 
known  to  continue  several  mouths,  and  eventually  to  destroy  the 
horse. 

If  the  discharge  is  not  offensive  to  the  smell,  nor  mixed  wtih 
purulent  matter,  it  is  probably  merely  an  nicreased  and  some- 
what vitiated  secretion  from  the  cavities  of  the  nose  ;  and,  all 
lever  having  disappeared,  will  frequently  yield  to  small  doses  ol" 
blue  vitriol,  given  twice  in  the  day.  If  fever  or  cough  remains, 
the  cough  medicine  that  will  hereafter  be  described  must  be 
dmbined  with  the  tonic.  If  the  discharge  is  mingled  with  pus, 
and  very  offensive,  the  vegetable  tonics,  gentian  and  ginger,  may 
be  added  to  the  copper  ;  but  there  is  now  reason  to  apprehend 
that  the  discharge  will  not  be  controlled,  and  will  termuiate  in 
glanders.  Turning  into  a  salt  marsh  will  occasionally  effect  a 
cure,  when  both  the  mineral  and  the  vegetable  tonics  have 
failed.* 

OZENA. 

Ozena  is  ulceration  oi'  the  membrane  of  the  nose,  not  always 
or  often  visible,  but  recognised  by  the  discharge  of  muco-purulent 
matter,  and  the  peculiar  stench  from  which  the  disease  derives 
its  name.  It  resembles  glanders,  in  being  confined,  in  most  in- 
stances, to  one  nostril,  and  the  submaxillary  gland  on  the  same 
side  being  enlarged  ;  but  differs  from  it  in  the  gland  not  being 
adherent,  and  the  discharge,  from  its  earliest  stage,  being  puru- 
lent and  stinking. 

There  is  sometimes  a  foetid  discharge  from  the  nostril,  in  con- 
sequence of  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  or  produced  by  some  of 
the  sequelae  of  pheumonia  ;  distinguished,  however,  from  ozena, 

*  Hote  by  Mr.  Spo^ner. — It  is  exceedingly  rare  that  the  nasal  discharge 
s  ever  so  profuse  as  that  described  in  the  text,  unless  produced  by  strangles, 
or  severe  catarrh,  or  glanders :  nor  is  it  brown  or  bloody,  unless  connected 
with  other  active  disease.  It  is,  indeed,  very  rare,  and  i<  usually  of  a  gray 
color  and  free  ivom  smell,  and  seems  to  arise  from  a  relaxation  of  the  secret- 
ing membrane  of  the  nostrils.  It  should  be  treated  by  tonics  internally,  as- 
sisted by  good  feeding  and  grooming. 

e 


106  OZENA. 

by  its  usually  flowing  irregularly,  being  coughed  up  in  great 
quantities,  more  decidedly  purulent,  and  the  gland  or  glands  sel 
dom  affected.  The  discharge  from  ozena  is  constant,  muco- 
purulent, and  attended  by  enlargement  of  the  glands.  It  is  of 
immense  consequence  that  wc  should  be  enabled  to  distinguish 
the  one  from  the  other ;  for  while  ozena  may,  sometimes  at 
least,  be  manageable,  the  other  is  too  frequently  the  precursor  of 
death. 

The  cause  of  ozena  cannot  always  be  discovered.  Chronic  in- 
flammation of  the  membrane  may  assume  another  and  malignant 
character.  In  severe  catarrh,  the  membrane  may  become 
abraded,  and  the  abrasions  may  degenerate  into  foul  and  foetid 
ulcers.  It  is  not  an  unfrequent  consequence  of  epidemic  catarrh. 
It  has  been  produced  by  caustic  applications  to  the  lining  mem- 
brane of  the  nose.  It  has  followed  hemorrhage,  spontaneous,  or 
the  consequence  of  injury. 

In  some  cases,  and  those  as  obstinate  as  any,  it  cannot  perhaps 
be  traced  to  any  probable  cause,  and  the  health  of  the  animal 
has  not  appeared  to  be  in  the  slightest  degree  affected. 

The  steam  of  a-  bran-mash,  scalding  hot,  could,  by  means  of  a 
nose-bag,  be  made  to  penetrate  the  cavities  of  the  nose,  and  would 
cleanse  the  part.  By  means  of  the  nose-bag  and  warm  mash, 
chloride  of  lime  might  be  introduced  into  the  cavities,  removing 
the  stench  and  arresting  the  tendency  to  decomposition.  The 
vapor  of  turpentine,  or  of  resinous  pine  shavings,  can  by  the  same 
means  be  brought  in  contact  with  all  parts  of  the  membrane,  and 
it  has  been  found  serviceable.  A  run  at  spring  grass  promises 
still  better.  It  is  the  finest  alterative,  depurative,  and  restora- 
tive in  the  whole  list  of  remedies  ;  and  if  it  is  acceptable  in  the 
form  of  a  salt-marsh,  there  is  no  better  chance  of  doing  good.=^ 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — When  a  nasal  gleet  is  attended  by  much  offen 
sive  smell,  we  may  rest  assm'ed  that  it  is  not  ghinders,  but  that  it  either 
arises  from  external  injury,  or  maybe  justly  included  under  the  de«;ignation 
ozena.  This  is  a  rare  disease  in  a  horse,  and  is  generally  prochiced  by 
catarrh,  particularly  that  of  the  epidemic  Itind.  The  discharge  is  usually 
thick,  considerable,  and  very  offensive.  The  treatment  should  consist  of 
tonics,  internally  and  .externally,  fumigations  of  chlorine  gas  by  means  of 
Read's  inhaler,  or  with  the  common  nose  bag  ;  or,  if  this  does  not  succeed 
a  solution  of  the  chloride  of  lime  may  be  syringed  up  the  nostrils  every  day, 
or  may  be  alternated  with  a  weak  solution  of  the  sulpliates  of  zmc  and  cop- 
per, and  applied  in  the  same  manner.  Nasal  gleet,  attended  with  foetid 
smell,  and  proceeding  from  one  nostril  only,  is  usually  produced  by  some 
blow,  or  external  injury.  This  much  resembles  glanders,  and  has  often  been 
confounded  with  it. 


GLANDERS.  !  07 


GLANDERS. 


The  most  formidable  of  all  the  diseases  to  which  the  horse  is 
subject,  is  Glanders.  It  has  been  known  from  the  earliest  an- 
tiquity. 

The  earliest  symptom  of  Glanders  is  an  increased  discharge 
from  the  nostril,  small  in  quantity,  constantly  flowing,  of  an  aque- 
ous (watery)  character,  and  a  little  mucus  mingling  with  it. 

It  is  a  common  and  very  mischievous  error  to  suppose  that  this 
discharge  is  sticky,  when  it  first  makes  its  appearance.  It  is  an 
aqueous  or  mucous,  but  small  and  constant  discharge,  and  is  thus 
distinguished  from  catarrh,  or  nasal  gleet,  or  any  other  deiluxion 
(discharge)  from  the  nostril.  If  a  horse  is  in  the  highest  condi- 
tion, yet  has  this  small  water}''  constant  discharge,  and  especially 
from  one  nostril,  no  time  should  be  lost  in  separating  him  from 
his  companions.  No  harm  will  be  done  by  this,  although  the 
defluxion  should  not  ultimately  betray  lurking  mischief  of  a  worse 
character. 

The  peculiar  stickiness  and  gluiness  which  is  generally  supposed 
to  distinguish  the  discharge  of  glanders  from  all  other  mucous 
and  prevalent  secretions  belongs  to  the  second  stage  of  the  dis- 
ease, and,  for  many  months  before  this,  glanders  may  have  ex- 
isted in  an  insidious  and  highly  contagious  form.  It  must  be  ac- 
knowledged, however,  that,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  some  degree 
of  stickiness  does  characterise  the  discharge  of  glanders  from  a 
very  early  period. 

It  is  a  singular  circumstance,  for  which  no  satisfactory  accouni 
has  yet  been  given,  that  when  one  nostril  alone  is  attacked,  it  is. 
in  a  great  majority  of  cases,  the  near,  or  left. 

This  discharge,  m  cases  of  infection,  may  continue,  and  in  sc 
shght  a  degree  as  to  be  scarcely  perceptible,  for  many  months,  or 
even  two  or  three  years,  unattended  by  any  other  disease,  even 
ulceration  of  the  nostril,  and  yet  the  horse  being  decidedly  glaii- 
dered  from  the  beginning,  and  capable  of  propagating  the  mala- 
dy. In  process  of  time,  however,  pus  (matter)  mingles  with  tlit» 
discharge,  and  then  another  and  a  characteristic  symptom  a}>- 
pears.  Some  of  this  is  absorbed,  and  the  neighbouring  glands  be- 
come affected.  If  there  is  discharge  from  both  nostrils,  the  glands 
within  the  under  jaw  will  be  on  both  sides  enlarged.  If  the 
discharge  is  from  one  nostril  only,  the  swelled  gland  will  be  found 
on  that  side  alone.  Glanders,  however,  will  frequently  exist  at 
an  early  stage  without  these  swelled  glands,  and  some  other  dis- 
eases, as  catarrh,  will  produce  them.  Then  we  must  look  out 
for  some  peculiarity  about  these  glands,  and  we  shall  readily  find 
it     The  swelling  may  be  at  first  somewhat  large  and  diffused. 


108  GLANDERS. 

Dut  the  surrounaiiig  enlargement  soon  goes  off,  and  one  or  two 
small  distinct  glands  remain  ;  and  they  are  not  in  the  centre  oi 
the  channel,  but  adhere  closely  to  the  jaw  on  the  a,[fected  side. 

The  membrane  of  the  nose  should  now  be  examined,  and  wilJ 
materially  guide  our  opinion.  It  will  either  be  of  a  dark  purplish 
hue,  or  almost  of  a  leaden  colour,  or  of  any  sliade  between  the 
wo  ;  or  if  there  is  some  of  the  redness  of  inflammation,  it  will 
have  a  purple  tinge  :  but  there  will  never  be  the  faint  pink  blusli 
of  health,  or  the  intense  and  vivid  red  of  usual  inflammation. 
Spots  of  ulceration  will  probably  appear  on  the  membrane  cover- 
ing the  cartilage  of  the  nose — not  mere  sore  places,  or  streaks  oi" 
abrasion,  and  quite  superficial,  but  small  ulcers,  unusually  ap- 
proaching to  a  circular  form,  deep,  and  with  the  edges  abrupt 
and  prominent.  When  these  appearances  are  observed,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  about  the  matter.  Care  should  be  taken,  how- 
ever, to  ascertain  that  these  ulcers  do  actually  exist,  for  spots  of 
mucus  adhering  to  the  membrane  have  been  more  than  once 
taken  for  them  The  finger  should,  if  possible,  be  passed  over 
the  supposed  ulcer,  in  order  to  determine  whether  it  can  be  wiped 
away  ;  and  it  should  be  recollected,  as  was  hinted  when  describ- 
ing the  duct  that  conveys  the  tears  to  the  nose,  that  the  orifice  of 
that  duct,  just  within  the  nostril,  and  on  the  inner  side  of  it,  has 
been  mistaken  for  a  chancrous  ulcer.  This  orifice  is  on  the  con- 
tinuation of  the  common  skin  of  the  muzzle  which  runs  a  little 
way  up  the  nostril,  while  the  ulcer  of  glanders  is  on  the  proper 
membrane  of  the  nose  above.  The  line  of  separation  between 
the  two  is  evident  on  the  slightest  inspection. 

When  ulcers  begin  to  appear  on  the  membrane  of  the  nose,  the 
constitution  of  the  horse  is  soon  evidently  affected.  The  patient 
loses  flesh — his  belly  is  tucked  up — his  coat  unthrifty,  and  readily 
coming  off — the  appetite  is  impaired — the  strength  fails — cough, 
more  or  less  urgent,  may  be  heard — the  discharge  from  the  nose 
will  increase  in  quantity  ;  it  will  be  discoloured,  bloody,  offensive 
to  the  smell — the  ulcers  in  the  nose  will  become  larger  and  more 
numerous,  and  the  air-passages  being  obstructed,  a  grating,  chok- 
ing noise  will  be  heard  at  every  act  of  breathing.  There  is  now 
a  peculiar  tenderness  about  the  forehead.  The  membrane  lining 
the  frontal  sinuses  is  inflamed  and  ulcerated,  and  the  integument 
of  the  forehead  becomes  thickened  and  somewhat  swelled.  Farcy 
is  now  superadded  to  glanders,  or  glanders  has  degenerated  into 
farcy,  and  more  of  the  absorbents  are  involved. 

At  or  before  this  time  little  tumours  appear  about  the  muscles, 
and  face,  and  neck,  following  the  course  of  the  veins  and  the  ab- 
sorbents, for  they  run  side  by  side  ;  and  these  the  tumours  soon 
ulcerate.  Tumours  or  buds,  still  pursuing  the  path  of  the  ab- 
sorbents, soon  appear  on  the  inside  of  the  thighs.      They  are  eon- 


GLANDERS.  100 

decied  together  by  a  corded  substance.  This  is  the  inflamed  and 
enlarged  lymphatic  ;  and  ulceration  quickly  follows  the  a})pcar- 
ance  of  these  buds.  The  deeper  seated  absorbents  are  next 
affected  ;  and  one  or  both  of  the  hind-legs  swell  to  a  great  size, 
and  become  still',  and  hot,  and  tender.  The  loss  of  ilesh  and 
strength  is  more  marked  every  day.  The  membrane  of  the  nose 
becomes  of  a  dirty  livid  color.  The  membrane  of  the  mouth  is 
strangely  pallid.  The  eye  is  infiltrated  with  a  yellow  fluid  ;  and 
the  discliarge  from  the  nose  becomes  more  profuse,  and  insufiera- 
bly  ofiensive.  The  animal  presents  one  mass  of  putrefaction,  and 
at  last  dies,  exhausted. 

There  are  peculiarities  about  the  enlargement  of  the  submax- 
illary glands,  already  referred  to,  which  deserve  particular  atten- 
tion. They  are  rarely  large,  except  at  first,  or  hot,  or  tender  ; 
but  they  are  characterised  by  a  singular  hardness,  a  proximity  to 
the  jaw-bone,  and,  frequently,  actual  adhesion  to  it.  The  adhe- 
sion is  produced  by  the  inflammatory  action  going  forward  in  the 
gland,  and  the  effusion  of  coagulable  lymph.  This  hardness  and 
adhesion  accompanying  discharge  from  the  nostril,  and  being  on 
the  same  side  with  the  nostril  whence  the  discharge  proceeds, 
aflbrd  proof  not  to  be  controverted  that  the  horse  is  glandered. 
But  there  are  cases  of  glanders  in  which  the  glands  are  neithei 
adherent  nor  much  enlarged. 

Glanders  have  often  been  confounded  with  strangles,  and  by 
those  who  ought  to  have  known  better.  Strangles  are  peculiar 
to  young  horses.  The  early  stage  resembles  common  cold,  with 
some  degree  of  fever  and  sore  throat — generally  with  distressing 
cough,  or  at  least  frequent  wheezing  ,  and  Avhen  the  enlargement 
appears  beneath  the  jaw,  it  is  not  a  single  small  gland,  but  a 
swelling  of  the  whole  of  the  substance  between  the  jaw^s,  grow- 
ing harder  towards  the  centre,  and,  after  a  while,  appearing  to 
contain  a  fluid,  and  breaking.  In  strangles,  the  membrane  of 
the  nose  will  be  intensely  red,  and  the  discharge  from  the  nose 
profuse  and  purulent,  or  mixed  with  matter  almost  from  the  first. 
When  the  tumor  has  burst,  the  fever  will  abate,  and  the  horse 
will  speedily  get  well. 

Should  the  discharge  from  the  nose  continue,  as  it  sometimes 
does,  for  a  considerable  time  after  the  horse  has  recovered  from 
strangles,  there  is  no  cause  for  fear.  Simple  strangles  need  never 
degenerate  into  glanders.  Good  keep,  and  small  doses  of  tonic 
medicine,  will  gradually  perfect  the  cure. 

Glanders  have  been  confounded  wijth  catarrh  or  cold  ;  but  the 
distinction  between  them  is  plain  enough.  Fever,  and  loss  of 
appetite  and  sore  throat,  accompany  cold — the  quiddiiig  of  the 
food  and  gulping  of  the  water  are  sufficient  indications  of  t.  e 
latter  of  these  ;  the  discharge  from  the  nose  is  profuse,  and  per- 


f  1  0  GLANDERS. 

haps  purulent ;  the  glands  under  the  jaw,  if  swelled,  are  movt 
able,  there  is  a  thickening  around  them,  and  they  are  tender  and 
hot.  With  proper  treatment  the  fever  abates  ;  the  cough  disap- 
pears ;  the  swellings  under  the  throat  subside  ;  and  the  dischargp 
from  the  nose  gradually  ceases,  or,  if  it  remains  it  is  usually  very 
different  from  that  which  characterises  glanders.  In  glanders, 
ihere  is  seldom  cough  of  any  consequence,  and  generally  no  cough 
at  all. 

A  running  from  the  nose,  small  in  quantity,  and,  from  the 
smallness  of  its  quantity,  drying  about  the  edges  of  the  nostril, 
and  presenting  some  appearance  of  stickiness,  will,  in  a  few  cases, 
remain  after  severe  catarrh,  and  especially  after  the  influenza  of 
spring  ;  and  these  have  gradually  assumed  the  character  of  glan- 
ders, and  more  particularly  when  they  have  been  accompanied 
by  enlarged  glands  and  ulceration  in  the  nose.  Here  the  aid  of 
a  judicious  veterinary  surgeon  is  indispensable  ;  and  he  will 
sometimes  experience  considerable  difficulty  in  deciding  the  case. 
One  circumstance  will  principally  guide  him.  No  disease  will 
run  on  to  glanders  wliich  has  not,  to  a  considerable  and  palpable 
degree,  impaired  and  broken  down  the  constitution  ;  and  every 
disease  that  does  this  will  run  07i  to  glanders.  He  will  look 
then  to  the  general  state  and  condition  of  the  horse,  as  well  as  to 
the  situation  of  the  glands,  the  nature  of  the  discharge,  and  the 
character  of  the  ulceration. 

If,  after  all,  he  is  in  doubt,  an  experiment  may  be  resorted  to, 
which  wears  indeed  the  appearance  of  cruelty,  and  which  only 
the  safety  of  a  valuable  animal,  or  of  a  whole  team,  can  justify. 
He  will  inoculate  an  ass,  or  a  horse  already  condemned  to  the 
hounds,  with  the  matter  discharged  from  the  nose.  If  the  horse 
is  glandered,  the  symptoms  of  glanders  or  farcy  will  appear  in 
the  inoculated  animal  in  the  course  of  a  few  days. 

The  post  mortem  examination  of  the  horse  will  remove  every 
doubt  as  to  the  character  of  the  disease.  The  nostril  is  generally 
more  or  less  blanched,  with  spots  or  lines  of  inflammation  of 
considerable  intensity.  Ulceration  is  almost  invariably  found, 
and  of  a  chancrous  character,  on  the  septum,  and  also  on  the 
SBthmoid  and  turbinated  bones.  The  ulcers  evidently  follow  the 
course  of  the  absorbents,  sometimes  almost  confined  to  the  track 
of  the  main  vessel,  or,  if  scattered  over  the  membrane  generally, 
thickest  over  the  path  of  the  lymphatic.  The  sethmoid  and  tur- 
binated bones  are  often  filled  with  pus,  and  sometimes  eaten 
through  and  carious  ;  but,  iai  the  majority  of  cases,  the  ulceration 
is  confined  to  the  external  membrane,  although  there  may  be  pus 
within.  In  aggravated  cases  the  disease  extends  through  all  the 
cells  of  the  face  and  head. 

The  path  of  the  disease  down  the  larynx  and  windpipe  is  easily 


GLANDERS.  1 1  1 

traced,  and  the  ulcers  follow  one  line — that  of  the  alsorbents. 
In  ag-rri'avated  cases,  this  can  generally  be  traced  on  to  the  lungs. 
It  produces  inflammation  in  these  organs,  characterised  in  some 
cases  by  congestion  ;  but  hi  other  cases,  the  congestion  having 
cone  on  to  hepatisation,  in  which  the  cellular  texture  of  the  lungs 
16  obliterated.  Most  frequently,  when  the  lungs  are  aflected  at 
all,  tubercles  are  found — miliary  tubercles — minute  granulated 
spots  on  the  surface,  or  in  the  substance  of  the  lungs,  and  not 
accompanied  by  much  inflammation.  In  a  few  cases  there  are 
larger  tubercles,  which  soften  and  burst,  and  terminate  in  cavities 
of  varying  size. 

In  some  cases,  and  showing  that  glanders  is  not  essentially  oi 
necessarily  a  disease  of  the  lungs,  there  is  no  morbid  aflection 
whatever  in  those  organs. 

The  history  thus  given  of  the  symptoms  of  glanders  will  clearly 
point  out  its  nature. 

It  is  inflammation,  whether  specific  or  common,  of  the  lining 
membrane  of  the  nose — possibly  for  months,  and  even  for  years, 
confined  to  that  membrane,  and  even  to  a  portion  of  it — the 
health  and  the  usei'ulness  of  the  animal  not  being  in  the  slightest 
degree  impaired.  Then,  from  some  unknown  cause,  not  a  new 
but  an  intenser  action  is  set  up,  the  inflammation  more  speedily 
runs  its  course,  and  the  membrane  becomes  ulcerated.  The  in- 
flammation spreads  on  either  side  down  the  septum,  and  the  ul- 
ceration at  length  assumes  that  peculiar  chandrous  form  which 
characterises  inflammation  of  the  absorbents.  Even  then,  when 
the  discharge  becomes  gluey,  and  sometimes  after  chancres  have 
appeared,  the  horse  is  apparently  well.  There  are  hundreds  of 
glandered  horses  about  the  country  with  not  a  sick  one  among 
them.  For  months  or  years  this  disease  may  do  no  injury  to  the 
general  health.  The  inflammation  is  purely  local,  and  is  only 
recognised  by  the  invariable  accompaniment  of  inflammation  and 
increased  secretion.  Its  neighbors  fall  around,  but  the  disease 
aflects  not  the  animal  whence  it  came.  At  length  a  constitu- 
tional inflammation  appears  ;  farcy  is  established  in  its  most  hor- 
rible form,  and  death  speedily  closes  the  scene. 

Glanders  may  be  either  bred  in  the  horse,  or  communicated  by 
contagion.  What  we  have  farther  to  remark  on  this  malady 
will  be  arranged  under  these  two  heads. 

Improper  stable  management  we  believe  to  be  a  far  more  fre- 
quent cause  of  glanders  than  contagion.  The  air  which  i? 
necessary  to  respiration  is  changed  and  empoisoned  in  its  passage 
through  the  lungs,  and  a  fresh  supply  is  necessary  for  the  support 
of  life.  That  supply  may  be  suflicient  barely  to  support  life,  but 
not  to  prevent  the  vitiated  air  from  again  and  again  passing  to 
the  iunp-s,  and  producing  irritation  and  disease.      The  membrane 


112  GLANDERS. 

of  the-  nose,  possessed  of  extreme  sensibility  for  the  purposes  of 
smell,  is  easily  irritated  by  this  poison,  and  close  and  ill-ventilated 
stables  oftenest  witness  the  ravages  of  glanders.  Professor  Cole- 
man relates  a  case  which  proves  to  demonstration  the  rapid  and 
fatal  agency  of  this  cause.  "  In  the  expedition  to  (iuiberon,  the 
norses  had  not  been  long  on  board  the  transports  before  it  became 
necessary  to  shut  down  the  hatchways  for  a  few  hours ;  the  con- 
sequence of  this  was,  that  some  of  them  were  sufibcated,  and 
rnat  all  the  rest  were  disembarked  either  glandered  or  farcied." 

The  injurious  gasses  arising  from  the  dung,  urine,  &c.,  in  badly 
wieaned  stables,  are  also  powerful  sources  of  the  mischief. 

vrlanders  may  be  produced  by  anything  that  injures,  or  for  a 
length  of  time  acts  upon  and  weakens,  the  vital  energy  of  this 
membrane.  They  have  been  known  to  follow  a  fracture  of  the 
bones  of  the  nose.  They  have  been  the  consequence  of  violent 
caiairh,  and  particularly  the  long-continued  discharge  from  the 
nosniis,  ot  whicli  we  have  spoken.  They  have  been  produced 
by  me  injection  of  stimulating  and  acrid  substances  up  the  nos- 
tril, liveiytnmg  that  weakens  the  constitution  generally  will 
lead  lo  /i^iandeis. 

Among  me  causes  of  glanders  are  want  of  regular  exercise, 
over-exeruon.  anu  the  stimulating  and  debilitating  cordials  ad- 
ministered uy  senseless  grooms. 

Every  exciimg  cause  of  disease  exerts  its  chief  and  worst  in 
fluence  on  the  membrane  of  the  nose,  and  there  is  not  another 
disease  which  niav  not  lay  the  foundation  of  glanders.  A  long 
time  may  elapse  oefore  it  appears,  but  when  at  length  the  whole 
frame  becomes  excited  or  debilitated  in  some  way,  this  debilitated 
portion  is  the  tirst  to  yield  to  the  attack. 

Several  strongly  marked  instances  are  on  record  showing  the 
connection  between  the  attack  of  this  disease  and  exposure  to  the 
dampness  of  brick  or  stone  stables,  the  walls  of  which  were  not 
yet  dry,  and  in  others  subject  to  damp  exhalations. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  glanders,  or  a  predisposition  to  glanders, 
is  sometimes  hereditary. 

Glanders  are  highly  contagious.  If  the  discharge  from  the 
nostrils  of"  a  glandered  horse  is  rubbed  on  a  wound,  or  on  a  mu- 
cous surface,  like  the  nostrils,  it  will  produce  a  similar  disease. 
If  the  division  between  two  horses  were  sufficiently  high  to  pre- 
vent all  smelling  and  snorting  at  each  other,  and  contact  of  every 
kind,  and  they  drank  not  out  of  the  same  pail,  a  sound  horse 
might  live  for  years,  uninfected,  by  the  side  of  a  glandered  one. 
The  matter  of  glanders  has  been  mixed  up  into  a  ball,  and  given 
to  a  healthy  horse,  without  effect.  Some  horses  have  eaten  the 
hay  left  by  those  that  were  glandered,  and  no  bad  consequence 
has  followed :    but  others  have  been   speedily   infected.      The 


GLANDERS.  ]  1  3 

glanderous  matter  must  come  in  contact  with  a  wound,  or  fall  on 
some  membrane,  thin  and  delicate,  like  that  of  the  nose,  and 
through  which  it  may  be  absorbed.  It  is  easy,  then,  accustomed 
as  horses  are  to  be  crowded  together,  and  to  recognize  each  other 
by  the  smell — eating  out  of  the  same  manger,  and  drinking  from 
the  same  pail — to  imagine  that  the  disease  may  be  very  readily 
communicated.  One  horse  has  passed  another  when  he  was  in 
the  act  of"  snorting,  and  has  become  glandered.  Some  fillies  have 
received  the  infection  from  the  matter  blown  by  the  wind  across 
a  lane,  when  a  glandered  horse,  in  the  opposite  field,  has  claimed 
acquaintance  by  neighing  or  snorting.  It  is  almost  impossible  for 
an  infected  horse  to  remain  long  in  a  stable  with  others  without 
irreparable  mischief. 

If  some  persons  underrate  the  danger,  it  is  because  the  disease 
may  remain  unrecognised  in  the  infected  horse  for  some  months, 
or  even  years,  and  therefore,  when  it  appears,  it  is  attributed  to 
other  causes,  or  to  after  inoculation.  No  glandered  horse  should 
be  employed  on  any  farm,  nor  should  a  glandered  horse  be  per- 
mitted to  work  on  any  road,  or  even  to  pasture  on  any  field  He 
should  be  destroyed. 

In  a  well  settled  case  of  glanders  it  is  not  worth  while,  ex- 
cept by  way  of  experiment  at  a  veterinary  school,  to  attempt 
any  remedies.  The  chances  of  cure  are  too  remote,  and  the 
danger  of  infection  too  great. 

If,  however,  remedial  measures  are  resorted  to,  a  pure  atmos- 
phere is  that  which  should  first  be  tried.  Turn  out  the  horse, 
and,  if  practicable,  on  a  salt  marsh, — but  much  caution  is  requi- 
site, as  the  grass,  and  even  the  fences  may  receive  the  glander- 
ous matter ;  and  hardening  on  them,  it  may  months  afterward 
communicate  the  disease  to  horses ;  and  there  is  not  yet  decided 
proof  that  sheep  and  cattle  are  not  subject  to  the  same  malady. 

Worse  than  all,  the  man  who  attends  on  that  horse  is  in 
danger.  The  cases  are  now  becoming  far  too  numerous  in 
which  the  groom  or  the  veterinary  surgeon  attending  on  glan 
dered  horses  becomes  infected,  and  in  the  majority  of  cases  dies. 

Every  portion  of  the  stable,  every  vessel,  &c.,  which  have 
been  within  the  reach  of  a  nasal  discharge  of  a  glandered 
horse,  should  be  well  scraped,  ,  scoured  with  soap  and  water, 
then  well  washed  with  a  solution  of  chloride  of  lime  (a  pint  ol 
the  chloride  to  a  pail  full  of  water,)  and  the  walls  white- washed. 
His  head  gear  should  be  burned — his  clothing  baked  or  washed — 
pails  newly  painted — and  the  iron  work  with  which  he  has  been 
in  contact,  should,  where  practicable,  be  exjiosed  to  a  red  heat.* 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — Mr.  S.'s  note  contains  nothing  materially  adding 
to  Mr.  Youatt's  elaborate  account ;  but  the  following  is  important : 

The  contagious  character  of  glanders  is  very  well  known,  and  not  only 


114  FARCY. 


PARCY 


Farcy  is  intimately  connected  with  glanders  ;  they  will  rui* 
into  each  other,  or  their  symptoms  will  mingle  together,  anu 
before  either  arrives  at  its  fatal  termination  its  associate  wih 
almost  invariably  appear.  An  animal  inocculated  with  the 
matter  of  farcy  will  often  be  afflicted  with  glanders,  while  the 
matter  of  glanders  will  frequently  produce  farcy.  They  are 
different  types  or  stages  of  the  same  disease.  There  is,  how- 
ever, a  very  material  difference  in  their  "symptoms  and  progress, 
and  this  most  important  one  of  all,  that  while  glanders  are 
generally  incurable,  farcy,  in  its  early  stage  and  mild  form,  m.ay 
be  successfully  treated. 

While  the  capillary  vessels  of  the  arteries  are  everywhere 
employed  in  building  up  the  frame,  the  absorbents  are  no  less 
diligently  at  work  in  selecting  and  carrying  away  every  useless 
or  worn-out  portion  or  part  of  it.  There  is  no  surface  on  which 
thousands  of  these  little  mouths  do  not  open.  Opening  on  the 
surfaces  of  glanderous  ulcers,  they  absorb  a  portion  of  the  virus 
secreted  by  them,  and  as  it  passes  through  these  little  tubes, 
they  become  thickened  and  inflamed  by  means  of  its  acrimonious 
qualities,  and  hence  they  received  the  name  of  corded  vein?,  from 
farriers  who  mistook  them  for  the  veins  whose  courses  they 
follow. 

At  certain  distances  in  the  course  of  the  absorbents  are 
natural  valves,  or  loose  duplicatures  of  the  lining  membrane, 
which  are  pressed  against  the  side  of  the  vessel  and  permit  the 
fluid  to  pass  in  a  direction  towards  the  chest,  but  belly  out  and 
impede  or  arrest  its  progress  from  the  chest.  The  virus  at  these 
places,  and  the  additional  inflammation  there  excited,  is  to  a 
greater  or  less  degree  evident  to  the  eye  and  to  the  feeling. 
They  are  usually  first  observed  about  the  lips,  the  nose,  the  neck, 
and  the  thighs.  They  are  very  hard — even  of  a  scirrhous  hard- 
ness, more  or  less  tender,  and  with  perceptible  heat  about 
them. 

The  poisonous  matter  being  thus  confined  and  pressing  on  the 
part,  suppuration  and  ulceration  ensue.     The   ulcers  have  the 

it  so  with  regard  to  the  horse,  but  it  is  capable  of  being  communicated  to 
the  human  being- ;  and,  indeed,  there  have  been  very  many  deaths  from  this 
cause,  and  most  horrible  deaths  they  are.  It  is  generally  by  means  of 
eome  cut  or  abrasion  which  comes  in  contact  with  the  glandered  matter, 
that  the  infection  is  communicated.  The  utmost  caution  should,  therefore, 
be  exercised  by  the  attendants ;  and  it  is  most  unpardonable  to  keep  glan- 
dered horses  any  length  of  time  for  the  sake  of  their  work ;  and  we  are 
scarcely  justified  in  tampering  long  with  them  under  tlie  idea  of  effecting  a 
cure,  when  the  cases  are  decidedly  glandered. 


FARCY.  1 10 

same  character  as  the  g-landcrous  ones  on  the  membrane  of  the 
nose.  They  are  rounded,  with  an  elevated  edire  and  a  pale 
surface.  They  are  true  chancres,  and  they  discharge  a  virus  as 
infectious  and  as  dangerous  as  the  matter  of  glanders.  While 
they  remain  in  their  hard  prominent  state,  they  are  called 
buttons  or  farcy  buds  ;  and  they  are  connected  together  by  the 
inflamed  and  corded  veins. 

In  some  cases  the  horse  vi^ill  droop  for  many  a  day  before  the 
appearance  of  the  corded  veins  or  buds — his  appetite  will  be 
impaired — his  coat  will  stare — he  will  lose  flesh.  The  poison  is 
(evidently  at  work,  but  has  not  gained  sufficient  power  to  cause 
the  absorbents  to  enlarge.  In  a  few  cases  these  buds  do  not 
ulcerate,  but  become  hard  and  difficult  to  disperse.  The  pro- 
gress of  the  disease  is  then  suspended,  and  possibly  for  some 
months  the  horse  Avill  appear  to  be  restored  to  health  ;  but  he 
bears  the  seeds  of  the  malady  about  him,  and  in  due  time  the 
larcy  assumes  its  virulent  form,  and  hurries  him  ofT.  These 
buds  have  sometimes  been  confounded  with  the  little  tumors  oi 
lumps  termed  surfeit.  They  are  generally  higher  than  these 
tumors,  and  not  so  broad.  They  have  a  more  knotty  character, 
and  are  principally  found  on  the  inside  of  the  limbs,  instead  of 
the  outside.  The  surfeit  buinjJS  are  pustular  and  end  in  des- 
quamation (scaling  ofi',)  not  in  ulceration,  and  they  do  not  follow 
the  course  of  the  absorbents,  but  are  scattered  irregularly  over 
the  skin. 

Few  things  are  more  unlike,  or  more  perplexing,  than  thf; 
different  forms  Avhich  farcy  assumes  at  different  times.  One  of 
the  legs,  and  particularly  one  of  the  hinder  legs,  will  suddenly 
swell  to  an  enormous  size.  At  night  the  horse  will  appear  t() 
be  perfectly  well,  and  in  the  morning  one  leg  will  be  three  times 
the  size  of  the  other,  with  considerable  fever,  and  scarcely  the 
power  of  moving  the  limb. 

At  other  times  the  head  will  be  subject  to  this  enlargement, 
the  muzzle  particularly  will  swell,  and  an  offensive  discharge 
will  proceed  from  the  nose.  Sometimes  the  horse  will  gradually 
lose  flesh  and  strength  ;  he  will  be  hide-bound  ;  many  eruptions 
will  appear  in  different  parts  ;  the  legs  Avill  swell ;  cracks  will 
be  seen  at  the  heels,  and  an  inexperienced  person  may  conceive 
it  to  be  a  mere  want  of  condition,  combined  with  grease. 

By  degrees  the  affection  becomes  general.  The  virus  has 
reached  the  termination  of  the  absorbents,  and  mingles  with 
the  general  circulating  fluid,  and  is  conveyed  Avith  the  blood  to 
every  part  of  the  frame.  There  are  no  longer  any  valves  to 
impede  its  progress,  and  consequently  no  knots  or  buds,  but  th*? 
myriads  of  capillary  absorbents  that  penetrate  every  part  be 
come  inflamed,  and  thickened,  and  enlarged,  and  cease  to  dis 


116  FARCY. 

charge  their  function.  Hence  arises  enlargement  of  the  sub- 
stance of  various  parts,  swellings  of  the  legs,  and  chest,  ami 
head — sudden,  painful,  enormous,  and  distinguished  by  a  heat 
and  tenderness,  which  do  not  accompany  other  enlargements. 

Farcy  cannot  probably  exist  without  previous  glanders,  and  it 
is  certain  that  it  cannot  long  and  extensively  prevail  without 
being  accompanied  by  it.  They  are,  in  fact,  stages  of  the  same 
disease. 

Farcy  has  been  confounded  with  other  diseases ;  but  he  must 
be  careless  or  ignorant  who  mistook  sprain  for  it.  The  inflam- 
mation is  too  circumscribed  and  too  plainly  connected  with  the 
joint  or  tendon. 

It  may  be  readily  distinguished  from  grease  or  swelled  legs. 
In  grease  there  is  usually  some  crack  or  scurfiness,  a  peculiar 
tenseness  and  redness  and  glossiness  of  the  skin,  some  ichorous 
discharge,  and  a  singular  spasmodic  catching  up  of  the  leg. 

In  farcy  the  engorgement  is  even  more  sudden  than  that  of 
grease.  The  horse  is  well  to-day,  and  to-morrow  he  is  gorged 
from  the  fet-lock  to  the  haunch,  and  although  there  is  not  the 
same  redness  or  glossiness,  there  is  great  tenderness,  a  burning 
heat  in  the  limb,  and  much  general  fever.  It  is  simultaneous 
inflammation  of  all  the  absorbents  of  the  limb. 

Local  dropsy  of  the  cellular  membrane,  and  particularly  that 
enlargement  beneath  the  thorax  which  has  the  strange  appella- 
tion of  ivater-farcy,  have  none  of  the  characters  of  real  farcy. 
'It  is  general  debility  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  and  not  in- 
flammation of  the  absorbents. 

Farcy,  like  glanders,  springs  from  infection  and  from  bad 
stable  management.  It  is  produced  by  all  the  causes  which 
ffive  rise  to  slanders,  with  this  difierence,  that  it  is  more  fre- 
quently  generated,  and  sometimes  strangely  prevalent  in  particu- 
lar districts.  The  matter  of  farcy  must  come  in  contact  Avith  a 
wound  or  sore,  in  order  to  communicate  the  disease. 

The  treatment  of  farcy  differs  with  the  form  that  it  assumes. 
As  a  general  rule,  and  especially  when  the  buttons  or  buds  are 
beginning  to  appear,  a  mild  dose  of  physic  should  first  be  ad- 
ministered. The  buds  should  then  be  carefully  examined,  and 
if  any  of  them  have  broken,  the  budding-iron,  at  a  dull  red  heat, 
should  be  applied.  If  pus  should  be  felt  in  them,  showing  that 
they  are  disposed  to  break,  they  should  be  penetrated  with  the  iron. 
These  wounds  should  be  daily  inspected,  and  if,  when  the  slough 
of  the  cautery  comes  ofl',  they  look  pale,  and  foul,  and  spongy, 
and  discharge  a  thin  matter,  they  should  be  frequently  washed 
with  a  strong  lotion  of  corrosive  sublimate,  dissolved  in  rectified 
spirit.  When  the  wounds  begin  to  look  red,  and  the  bottom  of 
them  is  even  and  firm,  and  they  discharge  a  thick  white  or  yel 


THE    LIPS.  1  17 

low  matter,  the  Friar's  balsam  will  usually  dispose  them  to 
heal. 

As,  however,  the  constitution  is  now  tainted,  local  applications 
will  not  be  sufficient,  and  the  disease  must  be  attacked  by  inter- 
nal medicine,  as  soon  as  the  physic  has  ceased  to  operate. 

The  most  effectual  constitutional  remedy  is  the  diniodide  m 
copper.  It  is  a  stimulant  of  the  absorbent  vessels,  and  a  tonic. 
The  ofentian  root  is  usually  combined  with  it.  Cantharides,  in 
small  quantities,  may  be  advantag-eously  added.  An  indication 
oi"  its  influence  is  a  soreness  of  the  diseased  parts,  arising  from 
the  absorbent  vessels  being  roused  into  increased  action  :  the 
agent  should  then  be  for  a  time  withheld. 

The  animal  should  be  generously  fed,  have  green  food,  if  pos- 
sible, and  a  free  circulation  of  air.^ 


THE  LIPS. 

The  lips  of  the  horse  are  far  more  important  organs  than 
many  suppose.  They  are  the  hands  of  the  animal,  and  without 
them  he  could  not  convey  his  food  to  his  mouth.  The  lips  are 
composed  of  a  muscular  substance  for  the  sake  of  strength,  and 
a  multitude  of  small  glands,  which  secrete  a  fluid  that  covers 
the  inside  of  the  lips  and  the  gums,  in  order  to  prevent  friction, 
and  likewise  furnish  a  portion  of  the  moisture  so  necessary  for 
the  proper  chewing  of  the  food. 

The  lips  of  the  horse  should  be  thin  and  well  kept  together : 
and  the  depth  of  the  mouth  should  be  considerable.     The  cor- 

*  Note  hij  Mr.  Spooner. — The  cure  of  farcy  materially  depends  on  the  ex- 
tent to  which  the  constitution  is  affected  by  the  disease.  If  it  be  confinea 
to  a  single  extremity,  particularly  one  of  the  hind  ones,  or  if  the  superficial 
absorbents  are  alone  affected,  there  is  then  a  very  reasonable  prospect  of 
establishing  a  cure.  The  application  of  the  caustic,  as  advised  in  the  text, 
is  very  proper  ;  but  we  may  also  materially  assist  the  case  by  rubbing 
into  any  swollen  part,  or  along  the  course  of  the  absorbents,  an  ointment 
consisting  of 

Iodine 31 

Lard 5I 

Mercurial  ointment     ...     5 1 

to  be  incorporated  together. 

Advantage  will  also  be  felt  by  the  internal  exhibition  of  five  to  ten  grains 
daily  of  hydriodate  of  potash  in  combination  with  a  mineral  tonic,  such  as 
sulphate  of  iron,  three  drachms,  and  gentian,  two  drachms.  The  ointment 
as  well  as  the  ball  must  be  continued  for  some  time. 

We  have  succeeded  in  many  cases  by  this  mode  of  treatment,  though  it 
must  be  acknowledged  that  there  is  no  disease,  to  which  the  horse  is  liable, 
so  deceptive  as  this.  When  the  external  symptoms  are  most  favorable,  the 
ulcers  healed,  and  the  swelling  reduced,  the  disease  will  somt  times  break 
out  ag;iin,  and  prove  rapidly  fatal. 


I  lo 


THE    MOUTH PALATE. 


ners  or  angles  of  the  lips  are  sometimes  wounded  by  the  ti^^ii- 
ness  of  the  bearing-rein,  or  by  sharp  or  badly  formed  bits.  If 
inflammation  or  ulcers  in  the  mouth  follow  contusions  inflicted 
by  the  bit,  a  little  cooling  medicine  may  be  administered  ;  and 
to  the  ulcers  themselves,  tincture  of  myrrh,  diluted  with  water, 
or  alum  dissolved  in  water,  may  be  applied  with  advantage. 


THE   BONES   OF  THE   MOUTH. 

The  bones,  in  and  giving  form  to  the  mouth,  are  the  superior 
maxillary  or  upper  jaw  (b,  Fig.  1,  and  /,  Fig.  2,)  containing  the 
grinders  :  the  anterior  maxillaiy,  or  lower  part  of  the  upper  jaw, 
(b,  Fig.  1,  n,  Fig.  2,  r,  Fig.  3,)  containing  the  upper-nippers  or 
cutting-teeth  ;  the  palatine  bone  (below  8,  Fig.  3,)  and  the  pos- 
terior maxillary  or  under  jaw  (a,  Fig.  1,  and  2U,  Fig.  3,)  con- 
taining all  the  under-teeth. 

The  size  of  these,  their  connection  with  the  other  bones  of  the 
head,  aiid  their  muscular  attachments,  will  be  sufiiciently  learned 
from  a  careful  inspection  of  the  cuts,  Figs.  1,  2,  3,  and  12. 

THE   PALATE. 


Adhering  to  a  portion  of  the  three  bones  just  described,  and 
constituting  the  lining  of  the  roof  of  the  mouth,  is  the  palate  {t, 
Fig.  3,)  composed  of  an  elastic  and  dense  substance,  divided  into 
several  ridges  called  bars.  The  following  cut  gives  a  view  of 
them. 

Fig.  13. 


a  The   palate,  divided   into  ridges 

or  bars. 
b  A  strip  dissected  up  to  show  the 

vessels  and  nerve  beneath. 
c  The  palatine  artery, 
d  The  palatine  vein. 
e  The  palatine  nerve,  between  the 

artery  and  the  vein. 
/  The  cheek  divided,  showing  the 

direction    of     the     muscular 

fibres. 
g  The  grinders. 
h  The  nippers. 
i  The  lushes. 


LAMP  AS,  1  1^ 

It  will  also  point  out  the  bleeding  place,  if  it  should  occasion- 
ally be  deemed  advisable  to  abstract  blood  from  the  mouth  ;  or, 
if  the  horse  should  be  attacked  with  megrims  on  a  journey,  and 
the  driver,  having  no  lancet,  should  be  compelled  to  make  use 
of  his  knife,  the  incision  should  be  made  betw^een  the  central  and 
second  nippers  on  either  side,  about  an  inch  within  the  mouth, 
and  cutting  through  the  second  bar.  A  stream  of  blood  will 
be  thus  obtained,  which  will  usually  cease  to  flow  when  two 
or  three  quarts  have  escaped,  or  may  generally  be  arrested  by 
the  application  of  a  sponge  filled  with  cold  water. 

Should  the  cut  be  made  a  little  too  much  on  one  side,  and 
about  the  middle  of  the  second  incisor  tooth,  the  artery  may 
be  wounded  longitudinally,  but  not  divided,  and  there  may  be 
very  great  difficulty  in  stopping  the  blood.  We  recollect  a  horse 
which  almost  bled  to  death  from  the  artery  being  thus  wounded. 
If,  however,  a  large  and  firm  pledget  of  lint  or  tow  be  rolled 
round  a  piece  of  twine,  and  that  tied  firmly  round  the  front 
teeth,  the  pressure  on  the  part  will  effect  the  desired  purpose  ; 
or,  should  this  in  a  very  few  cases  fail,  a  gag  may  be  easily  con- 
trived to  press  upon  the  pledget,  and  the  bleeding  will  imme- 
diately cease. 

This,  however,  is  a  make-shift  sort  of  bleeding,  that  may  be 
allowable  on  a  journey,  and  possibly  in  some  cases  of  lampas, 
but  which  is  decidedly  objectionable  as  the  usual  mode  of  ab- 
stracting blood.  The  quantity  withdrawn  cannot  be  measured, 
the  degree  of  inflammation  cannot  be  ascertained  by  the  manner 
in  which  it  coagulates,  and  there  may  be  difficulty  to  the 
operator,  and  annoyance  and  pain  to  the  horse,  in  stopping  the 
bleeding. 

LAMPAS. 

The  bars  occasionally  swell,  and  rise  to  a  level  with,  and 
even  beyond  the  edge  of,  the  teeth.  They  are  very  sore,  and  the 
horse  feeds  badly  on  account  of  the  pain  he  sufiers  from  the  pres- 
sure of  the  food  on  them.  This  is  called  the  Lampas.  It  may 
arise  from  inflammation  of  the  gums,  propagated  to  the  bars, 
when  the  horse  is  shedding  his  teeth — and  young  horses  are  more 
subject  to  it  than  others — or  from  some  slight  febrile  tendency  in 
the  constitution  generally,  as  when  a  young  horse  has  lately  been 
taken  up  from  grass,  and  has  been  over-fed,  or  not  sufficiently 
exercised.  At  times,  it  appears  in  aged  horses  ;  for  the  process 
of  growth  in  the  teeth  of  the  horse  is  continued  during  the  whole 
life  of  the  animal. 

In  the  majority  of  cases,  the  sw^elling  wdll  soon  subside  without 
medical  treatment ;  or  a  few  mashes,  and  gentle  alteratives,  will 


120  THE    LOWER    JAW. 

relieve  tne  animal.  A  few  slight  incisions  across  the  bars  with 
a  lancet,  or  pen-knife,  will  remove  the  inflammation,  and  cause 
the  swelling  to  subside  ;  indeed,  this  scarification  of  the  bars  in 
lamp  as  will  seldom  do  harm,  although  it  is  far  from  being  so 
necessary  as  is  supposed.  The  brutal  custom  of  the  farrier,  who 
sears  and  burns  down  the  bars  with  a  red-hot  iron,  is  most  objec- 
tionable. It  is  torturing  the  horse  to  no  purpose,  and  rendering 
that  part  callous,  on  the  delicate  sensibility  of  which  all  the 
pleasure  and  safety  of  riding  and  driving  depend.  It  may  be 
prudent,  in  case  of  lampas,  to  examine  the  grinders,  and  more 
particularly  the  tushes,  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  either  of 
them  is  making  its  way  through  the  gum.  If  it  is  so,  two  inci- 
sions across  each  other  should  be  made  on  the  tooth,  and  the 
horse  will  experience  immediate  relief.  =^ 

THE  LOWER  JAW. 

The  posterior  or  lower  jaw  may  be  considered  as  forming  the 
floor  of  the  mouth  {a,  Fig.  1,  or  w,  Fig.  3).  The  body,  or  lower 
part  of  it,  contains  the  under  cutting  teeth  and  the  tushes,  and 
at  the  sides  are  two  flat  pieces  of  bone  containing  the  grinders. 
\t>>QQ  the  preceding  cuts  of  the  anatomy  and  tissues  of  the  head]. 
The  joint  which  connects  the  lower  to  the  upper  jaw,  unlike  that 
in  carnivorous  animals,  is  so  constructed,  that  it  not  only  admits 
of  the  simple  motion  of  a  hinge,  but  of  a  lateral  or  grinding 
motion,  necessary  to  break  down  vegetable  fibre,  and  fit  it  for 
the  stomach. 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — It  is  almost  impossible  that  the  swelling  of  the 
bars  of  the  mouth,  denominated  lampas,  can  interfere  with  the  process  of 
mastication,  when  the  horse  is  in  the  stable  and  feeding  on  grain,  for  we 
well  know  that  tlie  food  is  ground  as  in  a  mill,  by  the  'molar  teeth.  It  often 
happens,  however,  that  connected  with  this  lampas,  there  is  an  inability  to 
masticate  properly  ;  the  horse  quids  his  food,  as  it  is  called,  that  is,  throws 
it  out  of  his  mouth  in  rolls  covered  with  saliva.  On  the  same  principle  as 
"  Tenterden  steeple  being  the  cause  of  Goodwin  sands,"  the  lampas  has  been 
regarded  as  the  cause  of  this  imperfect  mastication.  If  we  look  farther, 
however,  -we  shall  almost  invariably  tind  that  the  gums  are  swelled  gene- 
rally, and  particularly  the  membranous  tissues  covering  the  lower  jaw-bone, 
between  the  molar  and  incisor  teeth  ;  so  much  so,  that  when  the  horse  at- 
tempts to  masticate,  this  membrane  gets  between  the  molar  teeth  and 
causes  pain,  and  interrupts  the  process  of  mastication.  This  state  of  the 
parts  is  often  oveilooked,  and  the  horse  becomes  weak  and  thin  from  not 
having  sufficient  nutriment.  This  disease,  if  it  can  be  called  so,  is  com- 
monly termed  the  Rags,  or  Washes,  and  is  relieved  by  cutting  off  a  portion 
of  the  membrane  by  means  of  a  pair  of  scissors  ;  the  bleeding  relieves  the 
inflammation,  and  the  cicatrizatinn  of  the  wound  causes  the  membrane  to 
contract,  so  as  to  be  put  out  of  the  way  of  further  injury  from  the  teetk 
The  b.orse  should  have  mashes  for  some  days  after  the  operatioa  and  care 
muist  be  taken  that  tlie  bit  does  not  injure  the  denuded  part. 


PROCESS    OF    TEETHING. 


IC) 


Fig.  14. 


The  space  beneath  between  the  jaw-bones,  called  the  channel, 
IS  of  considerable  consequence.  It  may  be  a  little  too  wide,  and 
ilien  the  lace  will  have  a  clumsy  appearance  :  but  if  it  is  too 
narrow,  the  horse  will  never  be  able  to  bend  his  head  freely  and 
gracefully  ;  he  will  be  always  pulling  or  boring  upon  the  hand, 
nor  can  he  possibly  be  well  reined  in. 

The  jaws  contain  the  teeth,  which  are  the  millstones  employed 
in  comminuting  the  food.  The  mouth  of  the  horse  at  five  yeai^ 
old  contains  forty  teeth,  viz.  :  six  nippers  or  cutting-teeth  in  front, 
a  tush  on  each  side,  and  six  molars,  or  grinding-teeth,  above  and 
below.  The  gums  are  singularly  compact,  that  it  may  not  be 
wounded  by  the  hard  or  sharp  particles  of  the  food,  and  almost 
devoid  of  feeling,  for  the  same  purpose. 

Seven  or  eight   months  before  the  foal  is  born,  the  germs  oi 
beginnings  of  the  teeth  are  visible  in  the  cavities  of  the  jaws 
At  the   time   of  birth,   the   first   and   second 
grinders  have  appeared,  large  compared  with 
the  size  of  the  jaw,   and  seemingly  filling  it. 
In  the  course  of  seven  or  eight  days  the  two 
central  nippers  are  seen  as  in  Fig.  14.      They 
likewise  appear  to  be  large,  and  to   fill  the 
front   of  the   mouth  ;   although   they  will  af- 
terwards be  found  to  be  small,  compared  with 
the  permanent  teeth  that  follow.    In  the  course 
of  the  first  month  the  third  grinder  appears 
above  and  below,  and,  not  long  after,  and  gen- 
erally before  six  weeks  have  expired,  another 
incisor  above  and  below  will  be  seen  on  each 
side  of  the  two  first,  which  have  now  considerably  grown,  bm 
not  attained  their  perfect  height.      The  second  cut  will  represent 
the  appearance  of  the  mouth  at  that  time. 

At  two  months,  the  central  nippers  will 
natural  level,  and  between  the  second  and 
third  month  the  second  pair  will  have 
overtaken  them.  They  will  then  begin  to 
wear  away  a  little,  and  the  outer  edge, 
which  was  at  first  somewhat  raised  and 
sharp,  is  brought  to  a  level  with  the  inner 
one,  and  so  the  mouth  continues  until 
some  time  between  the  sixth  and  ninth 
month,  when  another  nipper  begins  to  ap- 
pear on  each  side  of  the  two  first,  making 
six  above  and  below,  and  completing  the 
colt's  mouth  ;  after  which,  the  only  ob- 
servable difference,  until  between  the  sec- 
ond and  third  year,  is  in  the  wear  of  these  teeth 


have  reached  their 
Fig-.  15. 


Sec  Fiff. 


122 


PROCESS    OF    TEETHING. 


The  teeth  are  covered  with  a  polished  and  exceedingly  hard 
substance,  called  the  enamel.  It  spreads  over  that  portion  of 
the  teeth  which  appears  above  the  gum,  and  not  only  so,  but  as 
they  are  to  be  so  much  employed  in  nipping  the  grass,  and  gath- 
ering up  the  animal's  food,  and  in  such  employment  even  this 
hard  substance  must  be  gradually  worn  away,  a  portion  of  it, 
as  it  passes  over  the  upper  surface  of  the  teeth,  is  bent  inward, 
and  sunk  into  the  body  of  the  teeth,  and  forms  a  little  pit  ini 
them.  The  inside  and  bottom  of  this  pit  being  blackened  by| 
the  food,  constitutes  the  mark  of  the  teeth,  by  the  gradual  dis- 
appearance of  which,  in  consequence  of  the  wearing  down  of 
the  edge,  we  are  enabled,  for  several  years,  to  judge  of  the  age 
of  the  animal. 

The  colt's  nipping-teeth  are  rounded  in  front,  somewhat  hol- 
low towards  the  mouth,  and  present  at  first  a  cutting  surface, 
with  the  outer  edge  rising  in  a  slanting  direction  above  the  inner 
edo-e.  This,  however,  soon  begms  to  wear  down  until  both  sur- 
faces are  level,  and  the  mark,  which  was  originally  long  anil 
narrow,  becomes  shorter,  and  widei,  and  fainter.  At  six  months 
the  four  nippers  are  beginning  to  wear  to  a  level.  The  annexed 
cut  will  convey  some  idea  of  the  appearance  of  the  teeth  at 
twelve  months.  The  four  middle  teeth  are  almost  level,  and 
the  corner  ones  becoming  so.  The  mark  in  the  two  middle 
teeth  is  wide  and  faint ;  in  the  two  next 
teeth  it  is  darker,  and  longer,  and  nar- 
rower ;  and  in  the  corner  teeth  it  is 
darkest,  and  longest,  and  narrowest. 

The  back  teeth,  or  grinders,  will 
not  guide  us  far  in  ascertaining  the 
age  of  the  animal,  for  we  cannot  ea- 
sily inspect  them  ;  but  there  are  some 
interesting  particulars  connected  with 
them.  The  foal  is  born  with  two 
grinders  in  each  jaw,  above  and  be- 
low ;  or  they  appear  within  three  or 
four  days  after  the  birth.  Before  the 
expiration  of  a  month  they  are  suc- 
ceeded by  a  third,  more  backward. 
The  crowns  of  the  grmders  are  entirely  covered  with  enamel  on 
the  top  and  sides,  but  attrition  soon  wears  it  away  from  the  top, 
and  there  remains  a  compound  surface  of  alternate  layers  of 
crusted  petraser,  enamel,  and  ivory,  which  are  employed  iji 
grinding  down  the  hardest  portion  of  the  food.  Nature  has, 
therefore,  made  an  additional  provision  for  their  strength  and 
endurance. 


Fia:.  16. 


PROCESS    OF    TEETHING. 


123 


Fig.  17. 


Fiff.  18. 


Fig.    17  represents  a  grinder  sawed   across.     The  five  dark 
spots  represent  bony  matter ;  the  parts 
covered   with    Hnes,    enamel ;  and    the 
white    spaces,    a    strong    bony  cement, 
uniting  the  other  portions  of  the  teeth. 

At  the  completion  of  the  first  year,  a 
fourtli  grinder  usually  comes  up,  and 
the  yearling  has  then,  or  soon  after- 
wards, six  nippers,  and  four  grinders 
above  and  below  in  each  jaw,  which, 
with  the  alteration  m  the  appearance 
of  the  nippers  that  we  have  just  described,  will  enable  us  to  cal- 
culate nearly  the  age  of  the  foal,  suject  to  some  variations  aris- 
ing from  the  period  of  weaning,  and  the  nature  of  the  food. 

At  the  age  ot"  one  year  and  a-half,  the  mark  in  the  central 
nippers  will  be  much  shorter  and 
fainter  ;  that  in  the  two  other  pairs 
will  have  undergone  an  evident 
ohanire,  and  all  the  nippers  will  be 
flfit.  ^ 

At  two  years  this  v/ill  be  more 
manifest.  The  accompanying  cut 
(Fig.  18,)  deserves  attention,  as  giv- 
ing an  accurate  represention  of  the 
nipners  in  the  lower  jaw  of  a  two- 
years-old  colt. 

About  this  period  a  fifth  grinder 
will  appear,  and  now,  likewise,  will 
commence  another  process.  The 
first  teeth  are  adapted  to  the  size  and  wants  of  the  young  animal 
They  are  sufl^iciently  large  to  occupy  and  fill  the  colt's  jaws  ;  Lul 
when  these  bones  have  expanded  with  the  increasing  growth  of 
the  animal,  the  teeth  are  separated  too  far  from  each  other  to  be 
useful,  and  another  and  larger  set  is  required.  The  second  teeth 
then  begin  to  push  up  from  below,  and  the  fangs  of  the  first  are 
absorbed,  until  the  former  approach  the  surface  of  the  gum, 
when  they  drop  out.  Where  the  temporaiy  teeth  do  not  rise 
immediately  under  the  milk-teeth,  but  by  their  sides,  the  latter 
being  pressed  sideway,  are  absorbed  throughout  their  whole 
length.  They  grow  narrow,  are  pushed  out  of  place,  and  cause 
niconvenience  to  the  gums,  and  sometimes  the  cheek.  They 
are  then  called  -wolf 's- teeth,  and  they  should  be  extracted.* 

The  teeth  which  first  appeared  are  first  renewed,  and  there- 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — Although  irregularities  of  the  teeth  sometimes 
occur,  as  mentioned  in  the  text,  yet  the  wolves'  teeth  are  generally  two 
very  small  supplementary  teeth  appearing  in  front  of  the  molar  teeth ;  and, 


124 


PROCESS    Gi^    TEETHING. 


fore  the  front  or  first  grinder  is  changed  at  the  age  of  twn 
years. 

During  the  period  between  the  falUng  out  of  the  central  milk 
nippers,  and  the  coming  up  of  the  permanent  ones,  the  colt, 
having  a  broken  mouth,  may  find  some  difficulty  in  grazing.  If 
he  should  fall  away  considerably  in  condition,  he  should  be  fed 
with  mashes  and  corn,  or  cut  feed. 

The  next  cut  (Fig.  19,)  will  represent  a  three-year-old  mouth. 
The  central  teeth  are  larger  than  the  others,  with  two  grooves 
in  the  outer  convex  surface,  and  the  mark  is  long,  narrow,  deep 
and  black.  Not  having  yet  attained  their  full  growth,  they  are 
rather  lower  than  the  others.  The  mark  in  the  two  next  nip- 
pers is  nearly  worn  out,  and  it  is  wearing  away  in  the  corner 
nippers.  Is  it  possible  to  give  this  mouth  to  an  early  two-years- 
old  ?  The  ages  of  all  horses  used  to  be  reckoned  from  May,  but 
some  are  tbaled  even  so  early  as  January,  and  being  actually 
four  months  over  the  two  years,  if  they  have  been  well  nursed 
and  fed,  and  are  strong  and  large,  they  may,  with  the  inexperi- 
enced, have  an  additional    year  put  upon  them.      The  central 

nippers  are  punched  or  drawn 
out,  and  the  others  appear  three 
or  four  mouths  eq,rlier  than  they 
otherwise  would.  In  the  natu- 
ral process,  they  could  only  rise 
by  long  pressing  upon,  and  caus- 
ing the  absorption  of,  the  first 
set.  But  opposition  from  the 
first  set  being  removed,  it  is 
easy  to  imagine  that  their  pro- 
gress will  be  more  rapid.  Three 
or  four  months  will  be  gained 
in  the  appearance  of  the  teeth, 
and  these  three  or  four  months 
may  enable  the  breeder  to  term 
him  a  late  colt  of  a  preceding  year.  To  him,  however,  who  is 
accustomed  to  horses,  the  general  form  of  the  animal — the  little 
development  of  the  fore-hand — the  continuance  of  the  mark  on 
the  next  pair  of  nippers — its  more  evident  existence  in  the  cor- 
ner ones,  some  enlargement  or  irregularity  about  the  gums  from 
the  violence  used  in  forcing  out  the  teeth — ^the  small  growth  of 
the  first  and  fifth  grinders  and  the  non-appearance  of  the  sixth 

though  supposed  to  have  an  injurious  effect  on  the  eyes,  we  have  rarely,  if 
ev(!r,  found  that  they  produce  any  injurious  effect,  eitlier  on  the  eyes  or  the 
mouth,  and,  consequently,  it  is  useless  to  interfere  with  them.  When,  how- 
ever, the  teeth  grow  irregularly,  the  permanent  ones  appearing  by  the  side 
of  the  temporary,  the  latter  should  be  removed. 


PROCESS    OF    TEETHING. 


125 


Fiar.  20. 


prinder,  which  if  it  is  not  through  the  gum  at  three  years  old,  is 
swelling  under  it,  and  preparing  to  get  through — any  or  all  of 
these  circumstances,  carefully  attended  to,  will  be  a  sufficient 
security  against  deception. 

A  horse  at  three  years  old  ought  to  have  the  central  perma- 
nent nippers  growing — the  other  two  pairs  wasting — six  grind- 
ers in  each  jaw,  above  and  below — the  first  and  fifth  level  with 
the  others,  and  the  sixth  protruding.  The  sharp  edge  of  the 
new  incisors,  although  it  could  not  be  well  expressed  in  the  cut, 
will  be  very  evident  when  compared  with  the  neighboring  teeth. 

As  the  permanent  nippers  wear,  and  continue  to  grow,  a  nar- 
rower portion  of  the  cone-shaped  tooth  is  exposed  to  the  attrition, 
and  they  look  as  if  they  had  been  compressed,  but  it  is  not  so. 
The  mark,  of  course,  gradually  disappears  as  the  pit  is  worn 
away. 

At  three  years  and  a  half,  or  between  that  and  four,  the  next 
pair  of  nippers  will  be  changed,  and  the  mouth  at  that  time 
cannot  be  mistaken.  The  central  nippers  will  have  attained 
nearly  their  full  growth.  A  vacuity  will  be  left  where  the 
second  stood,  or  they  will  begin  to  peep  above  the  gum,  and  the 
corner  ones  will  be  diminished  in  breadth,  worn  down,  and  the 
mark  becoming  small  and 
faint.  At  this  period,  like- 
wise, the  second  pair  of  grind- 
ers will  be  shed.  Previously 
to  this  may  be  the  attempt  of 
the  dealer  to  give  to  his  three- 
year-old  an  additional  year, 
but  the  fraud  will  be  detected 
by  an  examination  similar  to 
that  which  has  been  already 
described. 

At  four  years,  the  central 
nippers  will  be  fully  devel- 
oped ;  the  sharp  edge  some- 
what worn  off,  and  the  mark 
shorter,  wider,  and  fainter.  The  next  pair  will  be  up,  but  they 
will  be  small,  with  the  mark  deep,  and  extending  quite  across 
them.  The  corner  nippers  will  be  larger  than  the  inside  ones, 
yet  smaller  than  they  were,  and  flat,  and  the  mark  nearly 
effaced.  The  sixth  grinder  will  have  risen  to  a  level  with  the 
others,  and  the  tushes  will  begin  to  appear. 

Now,  more  than  at  any  other  time,  will  the  dealer  be  anxious 
to  put  an  additional  year  upon  the  animal,  for  the  difference 
between  a  four-years-old  colt,  and  a  five-years-old  horse,  in 
strength,   utility,  and  value,   is  very  great;  but,   the  want  of 


126 


PROCESS    OF    TEETHING 


wear  in  the  other  nippers — the  small  size  of  the  corner  ones— 
the  little  growth  of  the  tush — the  smalhiess  of  the  second  grinder 
—the  low  fore-hand — the  legginess  of  the  colt,  and  the  thick- 
ness and  little  depth  of  the  mouth,  will,  to  the  man  of  common 
experience  among  horses,  at  once  detect  the  cheat. 

The  tushes  (see  Fig.  13,)  are  four  in  number,  two  in  each 
jaw,  situated  between  the  nippers  and  the  grinders — much 
nearer  to  the  former  than  the  latter,  and  nearer  in  the  lower  jaw 
than  in  the  upper,  but  this  distance  increasing  in  both  jaws  with 
the  age.  It  is  conical,  protrudes  about  an  inch  from  the  gum, 
and  is  sharp  pointed  and  curved.  Mares  have  the  rudiments  of 
them,  and  they  usually  appear  externally  in  old  age. 

The  appearance  of  the  tush  in  the  horse  may  vary  from  four 
years  to  lour  years  and  six  months.  It  can  only  be  accelerated  a 
few  weeks  by  cutting  the  gum  over  it. 

At  four  years  and  a  half,  or  between  that  and  five,  the  last  im- 
portant change  takes  place  in  the  mouth  of  the  horse.  The  cor- 
ner nippers  are  shed,  and  the  permanent  ones  begin  to  appear 
The  central  nippers  are  considerably  worn,  and  the  next  pair  are 
commencing  to  show  marks  of  usage.  The  tush  has  now  pro- 
truded, and  is  generally  a  full  half-inch  in  height ;  externally  it 
has  a  rounded  prominence,  with  a  groove  on  either  side,  and  it  is 
evidently  hollowed  within.  The  reader  needs  not  to  be  told  that 
after  the  rising  of  the  corner  nipper,  the  animal  changes  its 
name — the  colt  becomes  a  horse,  and  the  filly  a  raiare. 

At  five  years  the  horse's  mouth  is  almost  perfect,  (see  Fig.  21.) 
Yig,  21.  T^^  corner  nippers  are  quite  up, 

with  the  long  deep  mark  irreg- 
ular on  the  inside ;  and  the 
other  nippers  bearing  evident 
tokens  of  increasing  wearing. 
The  tush  is  much  grown — the 
grooves  have  almost  or  quite 
disappeared,  and  the  outer  sur- 
face is  regularly  convex.  It  is 
still  as  concave  within,  and  with 
the  edge  nearly  as  sharp  as  it 
was  six  months  before.  The 
sixth  molar  is  quite  up,  and  the 
third  molar  is  wanting.  This 
last  circumstance,  if  the  general 
appearance  of  the  animal,  and  particularly  his  forehead  and  the 
w^earing  of  the  centre  nippers,  and  the  growth  and  shape  of  the 
tushes,  are  likewise  carefully  attended  to,  will  prevent  deception 
if  a  late  four-years-old  is  attempted  to  be  substituted  for  a  five 
The  nippers  may  be  brought  up  a  few  months  before  their  time 


PROCESS    OF    TEETHING 


127 


and  the  tushes  a  few  weeks,  but  the  grinder  is  with  difficulty 
displaced.  The  three  last  grinders  and  the  tushes  are  nevei 
shed. 

At  six  years,  (see  Fig.  22,)  Fig.  22. 

the  mark  on  the  central  nip- 
pers is  worn  out.  There  will 
still  be  a  difference  of  color 
in  the  centre  of  the  tooth. 
The  cement  filling  up  the 
hole,  made  by  the  dipping  in 
of  the  enamel,  will  present  a 
browner  hue  than  the  other 
part  of  the  tooth,  and  it  will 
be  evidently  surrounded  by 
an  edge  of  enamel,  and  there 
will  even  remain  a  little  de- 
pression in  the  centre,  and 
also  a  depression  round  the 
case  of  enamel  :  but  the  deep  hole  in  the  centre  of  the  teeth,  witL 
the  blackened  surface  which  it  presents,  and  the  elevated  edge 
of  enamel,  will  have  disappeared.  Persons  not  much  accu.s- 
tomed  to  horses  have  been  puzzled  here.  They  expected  to  find 
a  plain  surlace  of  a  unitbrra  color,  and  knew  not  what  conclu- 
sion to  draw  when  there  was  both  discoloration  and  irreg- 
ularity. 

In  the  next  incisors  the  mark  is  shorter,  broader  and  fainter  ; 
and  in  the  corner  teeth  the  edges  of  the  enamel  are  more  regular, 
and  the  surface  is  evidently  worn.  The  tush  has  attained  its  full 
growth,  being  nearly  or  quite  an  inch  in  length  ;  convex  outward, 
concave  within  ;  tending  to  a  point,  and  the  extremity  some- 
what curved.  The  third  grinder  is  fairly  up  ;  and  all  the  grind- 
ers are  level. 

The  horse  may  now  be  said  to  have  a  perfect  mouth.  All  the 
teeth  are  produced,  fully  grown,  and  have  hitherto  sustained  no 
material  injury.  During  these  important  changes  of  the  teeth, 
the  ammal  has  suffered  less  than  could  be  supposed  possible.  In 
children,  the  period  of  teething  is  fraught  with  danger.  Dogs 
are  subject  to  convulsions,  and  hundreds  of  them  die,  from  the 
irritation  caused  by  the  cutting  or  shedding  of  their  teeth  ;  but 
the  horse  appears  to  feel  Uttle  inconvenience.  The  gums  and 
palate  are  occasionally  somewhat  hot  and  swollen ;  but  the 
slightest  scarification  will  remove  this.  The  teeth  of  the  horse 
are  more  necessary  to  him  than  those  of  the  other  animals  are 
to  them.  The  child  may  be  fed,  and  the  dog  wili  bolt  his  food  ; 
but  that  of  the  horse  must  be  well  ground  down,  or  the  nutri- 
ment caimot  be  extracted  from  it. 


128 


PROCESS    OF    TEETHING. 


At  seven  years,  (see  Fig.  23,)  the  mark,  in  the  way  in  which 
„.  ^  we  have  described  it,  is  worn 

out  in  the  four  central  nip- 
pers, and  fast  wearing  away 
in  the  corner  teeth  ;  the  tush 
also  is  beginning  to  he  altered. 
It  is  rounded  at  the  point ; 
rounded  at  the  edges ;  stil] 
round  without ;  and  begin- 
ning to  get  round  inside. 

At  eight  years  old,  the  tush 
is  rounder  in  every  way  ;  the 
mark  is  gone  from  all  the 
bottom  nippers,  and  it  may 
almost  be  said  to  be  out  of 
the  mouth.  There  is  nothing 
remaining  in  the  bottom  nippers  that  can  afterwards  clearly 
show  the  age  of  the  horse,  or  justify  the  most  experienced  ex- 
aminer in  giving  a  positive  opinion. 

Dishonest  dealers  have  been  said  to  resort  to  a  method  of  pro- 
longing the  mark  in  the  lower  nippers.  It  is  called  bhlwjmtg, 
from  the  name  of  the  scoundrel  who  invented  it.  The  horse 
of  eight  or  nine  years  old,  (see  Fig.  24,)  is  thrown,  and  with  an 
engraver's  tool  a  hole  is  dug  in  the  now  almost  plain  surface 

of  the  corner  teeth,  and  m 
shape  and  depth  resembling 
the  mark  in  a  seven-years-old 
horse.  The  hole  is  then 
burned  with  a  heated  iron, 
and  a  permanent  black  stain 
is  left.  The  next  pair  of 
nippers  are  sometimes  light- 
ly touched.  An  ignorant 
man  would  be  very  easily 
imposed  on  by  this  trick  :  but 
the  irregular  appearance  of 
the  cavity — the  diffusion  of 
the  black  stain  around  the 
tushes,  the  sharpened  edges 
and  concave  inner  surface  of  which  can  never  be  given  again — 
the  marks  on  the  uppjr  nippers,  together  with  the  general  con- 
formation of  the  horse,  can  never  deceive  the  careful  examiner 

Horsemen,  after  the  animal  is  eight  years  old,  are  accustomed 
to  look  to  the  nippers  .'n  the  upper  jaw,  and  some  conclusion  has 
been  drawn  from  the  a  ipearances  which  they  present.     It  cannot 


T'vr   24. 


PROCESS    OF    TEETHING.  1^9 

be  doubted  that  the  mark  remains  m  them  for  some  years  after 
It  has  been  obliterated  irom  the  nippers  in  the  lower  jaw. 

There  are  various  opinions  as  to  the  intervals  between  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  marks  from  the  different  cutting-teeth  in  the 
upper  jaw.  Some  have  averaged  it  at  two  years,  and  others  at 
one.  The  author  is  inclined  to  adopt  the  latter  opinion,  and  then 
the  age  will  be  thus  determined  .  at  nine  years,  the  mark  will 
be  worn  out  from  the  middle  nippers — from  the  next  pair  at  ten, 
and  from  all  the  upper  nippers  at  eleven.  During  these  periods, 
the  tush  is  likewise  undergoing  a  manifest  change — it  is  blunter, 
shorter,  and  rounder  In  what  degree  this  takes  place  in  the 
difierent  periods,  long  and  most  favorable  opportunities  for  obser- 
vation can  alone  enable  the  horseman  to  decide. 

Tiie  alteration  in  the  form  of  the  tushes  is  frequently  uncertain. 
It  will  sometimes  be  blunt  at  eight,  and  at  others,  remain  pointed 
at  eighteen. 

After  eleven,  and  until  the  horse  is  very  old,  the  age  may  be 
guessed  at,  with  some  degree  of  confidence,  from  the  shape  of  the 
upper  surface  or  extremity  of  the  nippers.  At  eight,  they  are  all 
oval,  the  length  of  the  oval  running  across  from  tooth  to  toooth  ; 
but  as  the  horse  gets  older,  the  teeth  diminish  in  size — and  this 
commencing  in  their  width,  and  not  in  their  thickness.  They 
become  a  little  apart  from  each  other,  and  their  surfaces  become 
round  instead  of  oval.  At  nine,  the  centre  nippers  are  evidently 
so  ;  at  ten,  the  others  begin  to  have  the  oval  shortened.  At 
eleven,  the  second  pair  of  nippers  are  quite  rounded  ;  and  at 
thirteen,  the  corner  ones  have  that  appearance.  At  fourteen,  the 
faces  of  the  central  nippers  become  somewhat  triangular.  At 
seventeen,  they  are  all  so.  At  nineteen,  the  angles  begin  to  wear 
off,  and  the  central  teeth  are  again  oval,  but  in  a  reversed  direc- 
tion, viz.,  from  outward,  inward  ;  and  at  twenty-one,  they  all 
wear  this  form. 

It  would  of  course  be  folly  to  expect  anything  like  certainty  in 
an  opinion  of  the  exact  age  of  an  old  horse,  drawn  from  the  above 
indications.  Stabled  horses  have  the  marks  sooner  wora  out  than 
those  that  are  at  grass,  and  crib-biters  still  sooner.  At  nine  or 
ten.  the  bars  of  the  mouth  become  less  prq^iiinent,  and  their  reg- 
ular dimiimtion  will  designate  increasing  age.  At  eleven  or 
twelve,  the  lower  nippers  change  their  original  upright  direction, 
and  project  forward  or  horizontally,  and  become  of  a  yellow  color. 

The  general  indications  of  old  age,  independent  of  the  teeth, 
are  deepening  of  the  hollows  over  the  eyes  ;  gray  hairs,  and  par- 
ticularly over  the  eyes  and  about  the  muzzle ;  thinness  and  hang- 
ing down  of  the  lips  ;  sharpness  of  the  withers ;  sinking  of  the 
oack  ;  lengthening  of  the  quarters  ;  and  the  disappearance  of 
windo-alls,  spavins,  and  tumors  of  every  kind. 
9  r 


130  DISEASES    OF    THE    TEETH. 

Horses,  kindly  and  not  prematurely  used,  sometimes  live  to  be- 
tween thirty-five  and  forty  years  of  age  ;  and  Mr.  Percivall  gives 
an  account  of  a  barge  horse  that  died  in  his  sixty-second  year.^*' 


DISEASES  OF  THE  TEETH. 

Of  the  diseases  of  the  teeth  in  the  horse,  we  know  little.  Ca« 
rious  or  hollow  teeth  are  occasionally,  but  not  often,  seen  ;  but 
the  edges  of  the  grinders,  from  the  wearing  off  of  the  enamel,  or 

*  JS^ote  by  Mr.  Spooner. — We  have  little  to  add.  There  are  exceptions, 
however,  to  the  above  rules.  We  have  known  a  horse  at  twelve  exhibit 
the  same  appearance  as  another  at  six.  In  such  instances,  the  age  must  be 
judged  by  the  length  and  shape  of  the  teeth,  and  more  particularly  by  the 
shape  of  the  faces  of  tlie  teeth. 

A  careful  examination  leads  me  to  believe  that  the  ob-^ervation  in  the  text, 
that  tlie  teeth  are  developed  much  earlier  in  young  animals  that  are  corn- 
fed  and  taken  early  into  tlie  stable,  and  that  in  thorough-bred  horses,  conse- 
quently, the  changes  of  the  teeth  are  earlier  than  in  animals  that  remain 
more  in  a  state  of  nature,  is  erroneous.  I  thiftk  them,  of  the  two,  rather 
more  backward.  Many  successful  attempts  have  doubtless  been  made  to 
run  four  year  old  horses  for  three  year  okis,  as  in  the  celebrated  case  of 
Running  Rein,  which  obtained  such  notoriety.  An  inoisor  tooth,  when  it  ia 
first  shed,  and  for  some  time  afterwards,  is  higher  on  the  outer  or  front 
edge,  than  the  inner  or  back  edge.  After  some  time,  this  outer  edge  is  worn 
down  to  the  same  level  as  the  inner,  and  subsequently  both  edges  wear 
equally,  till  the  bottom  of  the  hole  which  forms  the  mark  is  reached,  wlien, 
of  course,  the  mark  disappears.  It  takes  about  three  years  to  effect  this 
process,  that  is,  from  the  time  the  tooth  is  cut  to  the  disappearance  of  the 
mark.  In  a  four  year  old  mouth,  there  are  four  permanent  lower  incisors, 
and  two  corner  temporary  teeth.  The  outer  and  inner  edge  of  the  central 
teeth  are  tolerably  level,  and  the  mark  smaller  than  the  middle  teeth  next 
them,  which  present  the  appearance  of  j^ounger  teeth.  Now,  in  a  three-year 
old  mouth  the  central  teeth  have  a  younger  appearance,  the  mark  being 
larger,  and  the  outer  edge  higher,  than  the  inner,  whilst  the  middle  teeth 
are  either  in  the  act  of  being  cut,  or  the  temporary  teeth  have  not  yet  dis- 
appeared. By  careful  examination,  therefore,  the  difference  between  a  three 
and  four  year  old  horse  can  be  readily  detected.  The  permanent  teeth 
differ  from  the  temporary,  being  larger,  less  white,  and  having  more  depth 
above  the  gums. 

After  the  marks  have  disappeared,  the  age  of  the  horse  may  be  judged 
partly  by  tlie  shape  of  the  faces  of  the  teeth,  and  partly  by  the  horizontal 
position  in  which  the  teeth  proceed  from  the  jaw.  If  we  take  a  young  in- 
cisor tooth  and  saw  it  off  below  the  bottom  of  the  hole  whicli  forms  the 
mark,  and  again  at  a  similar  distance  lower  down,  we  shall  find  that  the 
several  surfaces  made  by  the  sections  resemble  the  shape  of  the  face  of  the 
tooth  in  a  horse  in  which  a  similar  quantity  of  the  tooth  has  been  naturally 
worn  down.  The  comparison  also  holds  good  with  regard  to  the  direction  in 
which  the  teeth  proceed  from  the  lower  jaw,  being  in  the  young  animal  up- 
right or  curved,  and  in  the  old  one  nearly  horizontal.  Altliough  the  teeth 
grow  to  supply  the  loss  of  that  which  wears  away,  yet  the  original  shape 
remains,  so  that  the  face  of  an  incisor  tooth  at  different  periods  is  owing  to 
that  particular  part  which,  in  its  turn,  reaches  and  forms  the  surface. 


THE    TONGUE.  13) 

the  iiTCirular  growth  of  the  teeth,  become  rough,  and  wound  the 
inside  of  the  cheek  ;  it  is  then  necessary  to  adopt  a  summary,  but 
eflectual  method  of  cure  ;  namely,  to  rasp  them  smooth.  Many 
bad  ulcers  have  been  produced  in  the  mouth  by  neglect  of  this. 

The  teeth  sometimes  grow  irregularly  in  length — particularly 
the  grinders — from  not  meeting  the  proper  opposition  of  the  cor- 
responding tooth  in  the  other  jaw.  These  sometimes  penetrate 
the  bars,  causing  ulceration  ;  and  at  others,  interfere  partially  oi 
entirely  with  the  grinding  motion  of  the  jaw.  The  teeth  should 
be  reduced  to  the  level  of  the  others  with  a  saw,  and  occasionally 
looked  to,  because  the  difficulty  will  return.  Horses  oiten  pine 
away  from  this  unsuspected  cause.  Every  horse  that  grows  thin 
without  apparent  cause,  especially  if  he  qidch,  (partly  chews  and 
then  drops  his  feed)  should  be  looked  to  in  this  particular.  Very 
irregular  teeth  lessen  the  value  of  a  horse,  and  to  all  intents  and 
purposes  constitute  unsoundness. 

Decayed  teeth  should  be  removed  to  prevent  injury  to  the  other 
teeth  and  to  the  jaw.  The  hammer  and  punch  should  never  be 
resorted  to  in  this  operation,  but  a  keyed  instrument,  like  that  of 
the  human  subject,  only  on  a  larger  scale.* 

Fever,  cough,  catarrhal  affections  generally,  disease  of  the  eyes, 
cutaneous  affections,  diarrhoea,  dysentery,  loss  of  appetite,  and 
general  derangement,  will  frequently  be  traced  by  the  careful 
observer  to  irritation  from  teething,  in  the  colt. 

It  is  a  rule  scarcely  admitting  of  the  slightest  deviation,  that, 
when  young  horses  are  laboring  under  any  febrile  affection,  the 
mouth  should  be  examined,  and  if  the  tushes  are  prominent  and 
pushing  against  the  gums,  a  crucial  (in  the  form  of  a  cross)  inci- 
sion should  be  made  across  them.    Relief  will  often  be  immediate. 


THE  TONGUE. 

The  tongue  is  the  organ  of  taste.  It  is  also  employed  in  dis- 
posing the  food  for  being  ground  between  the  teeth,  and  after- 
wards collecting  it  together,  and  conveying  it  to  the  back  part  of 
the  mouth,  in  order  to  be  swallowed.  It  is  likewise  the  main 
instrument  in  swallowing,  and  the  canal  through  which  the  water 
passes  in  the  act  of  drinking.  Its  form,  attachments,  &c.,  are 
too  well  known  to  require  description. 

*  The  keyed  instrument  is  now  banished  from  human  practice,  and  the 
substitutes  for  it  might  probably  be  advantageously  introduced  into  veteri- 
nary practice. — American  Editor. 


132        DISEASE:?     JF    THE    TONGUE THE    SALIVARY    GLANDS. 


DISEASES  OF  THE  TONGUE. 

The  tongue  is  frequently  lacerated  by  carelessness  in  adminis- 
tering medicine,  by  the  bit,  and  sometimes  by  being  bitten  by  the 
animal  itself.  A  little  diluted  tincture  of  myrrh,  or  alum  dis- 
solved in  water,  or,  if  the  wound  is  not  serious,  unassisted  nature, 
will  heal  the  parts. 

Purple-colored  vesicles  or  bladders  will  sometimes  appear  along 
the  under  side  of  the  tongue,  and  increase  to  considerable  size  ; 
ihe  tongue  will  be  enlarged  so  that  it  becomes  difficult  to  swallow ; 
and  a  great  quantity  of  ropy  saliva  will  drivel  from  the  mouth. 
Lance  the  vesicles  freely  and  deeply  from  end  to  end  and  they 
will  soon  disappear,  and  any  little  fever  that  remains  may  be 
subdued  by  cooling  medicine. 

THE  SALIVARY  GLANDS. 

In  order  that  the  food  may  be  properly  comminuted  preparatory 
to  digestion,  it  is  necessary  that  it  should  be  previously  moistened. 
Nature  has  made  a  provision  for  this.  She  has  placed  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  mouth  various  glands  to  secrete,  and  that 
plentifully,  a  limpid  fluid,  somewhat  saline  to  the  taste.  This 
fluid  is  conveyed  from  the  glands  into  the  mouth,  by  various  ducts, 
in  the  act  of  chewing,  and,  being  mixed  with  the  food,  renders 
it  more  easily  ground,  more  easily  passed  afterwards  into  the 
stomach,  and  better  fitted  for  digestion. 

The  principal  of  these  is  the  'parotid  gland  (see  Fig.  12).  The 
quantity  of"  fl  uid  poured  into  the  mouth,  in  the  act  of  mastication, 
from  each  jf  these  glands,  amounts  to  a  pint  in  half  an  hour. 

The  paiotid  gland  sympatliizes  with  every  inflammatory  afTec- 
tion  of  the  upper  part  of  the  throat,  and  therefore  it  is  found 
swollen,  hot,  and  tender,  in  almost  every  catarrh  or  cold.  The 
catarrh  is  to  be  treated  in  the  usual  way ;  while  a  stimulating 
application,  almost  amounting  to  a  blister,  well  rubbed  over  the 
gland,  will  best  subdue  the  inflammation  of  that  body. 

In  bad  strangles,  and,  sometimes,  in  violent  cold,  this  gland 
will  be  much  enlarged  and  ulcerated,  or  an  obstruction  will  take 
place  in  some  part  of  the  duct,  and  the  accumulating  fluid  will 
burst  the  vessel,  and  a  fistulous  ulcer  will  be  formed  that  will  be 
very  difficult  to  heal.  A  veterinary  surgeon  alone  will  be  com- 
petent to  the  treatment  of  either  case  ;  and  the  principle  by 
which  he  will  be  guided,  will  be  to  heal  the  abscess  in  the  gland 
as  speedily  as  he  can,  and,  probably,  by  the  application  of  the 
heated  iron  :  or,  if  the  ulcer  is  in  the  duct,  either  to  restore  the 
passage  through  the  duct,  or  to  form  a  new  one,  or  to  eut  off  the 
flow  of  the  saliva  by  the  destruction  o^  the  gland. 


STRANGLES.  133 

A  second  source  of  the  saliva  is  from  the  submaxillary  glands. 
or  the  glands  under  the  jaw.  One  of  them  is  represented  at  s, 
Fig.  12.  When  the  horse  has  catarrh  or  cold,  these  glands,  like 
the  parotid  gland,  enlarge.  This  is  often  to  be  observed  after 
strangles,  and  several  distinct  kernels  are  to  be  felt  under  the  jaw. 
The  farriers  call  them  vives,  and  often  adopt  cruel  and  absurd 
methods  to  disperse  them, — as  burning  them  with  a  lighted  can- 
dle, or  hot  iron,  or  even  cutting  them  out.  They  will,  in  the 
majority  of  instances,  gradually  disperse  in  proportion  as  the  dis- 
ease which  produced  them  subsides  ;  or  they  will  yield  to  slightly 
stimulating  embrocations ;  or,  if  they  are  obstinate  in  their  con- 
tinuance, they  are  of  no  further  consequence,  than  as  indicating 
that  the  horse  has  labored  under  severe  cold  or  strangles. 

During  catarrh,  the  little  protuberances  marking  the  mouths 
of  these  ducts  on  either  side  of  the  bridle  of  the  tongue,  are  apt 
to  enlarge,  and  the  mouth  under  the  tongue  is  a  little  red,  and 
hot,  and  tender.  The  farriers  call  these  swellings  barbs  or  paps  ; 
and  as  soon  as  they  discover  them,  mistaking  the  effect  of  disease 
for  the  cause  of  it,  they  set  to  work  to  cut  them  close  off.  The 
bleeding  that  follows  this  operation  somewhat  abates  the  local 
inflammation,  and  affords  temporary  relief;  but  the  wounds  will 
not  speedily  heal,  and  even  when  healed  are  apt  to  break  out 
again  for  months  or  years  afterwards.  These  paps  disappear 
with  the  cold  that  caused  them,  and  should  not  be  meddled  with. 

The  sublingual  glands,  resembling  little  folds  in  the  integu- 
ment on  the  lower  side  of  the  tongue,  or  on  the  bottom  of  the 
mouth,  sometimes  enlarge  during  catarrh,  and  are  called  gigs, 
bladders,  or  flaps  in  the  mouth.  Let  them  alone  ;  and  should 
any  ulceration  remain  after  that  abatement  of  the  swelling,  use 
tincture  of  myrrh,  or  a  solution  of  alum. 


STRANGLES.* 

This  is  a  disease  principally  incident  to  young  horses — usually 
appearing  between  the  fourth  and  fifth  year,  and  oftener  in  the 
spring  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  year.  It  is  preceded  by 
cough,  and  can  at  first  be  scarcely  distinguished  from  common 
cough,  except  that  there  is  more  discharge  from  the  nostril,  of  a 
yellowish  color,  mixed  with  pus,  and  generally  without  smell 
There  is  likewise  a  considerable  discharge  of  ropy  fluid  from  the 
mouth,  and  greater  swelling  than  usual  under  the  throat.  This 
swelimg  increases  with  uncertain  rapidity,  accompanied  by  some 
fever,  and  disinclination  to  eat,  partly  arising  from  the  fever,  but 
more  from  the  pain  wliich  the  animal  feels  in  the  act  of  masti 

*  Usually  termed  "  Horse  distemper"  in  the  United  States. 


1 34  STRANGLES 

cation.  There  is  considerable  thirst,  but  after  a  gulp  or  two 
the  horse  ceases  to  drink,  yet  is  evidently  desirous  of  contin  jLing 
his  draught.  In  the  attempt  to  swallow,  and  sometimes  when 
not  drinking,  a  convulsive  cough  comes  on,  which  almost  threat- 
ens to  suffocate  the  animal — and  thence,  probably,  the  name  of 
the  disease. 

The  tumor  is  under  the  jaw,  and  about  the  centre  of  the 
channel.  It  soon  fills  the  whole  of  the  space,  and  is  evidently 
one  uniform  body,  and  may  thus  be  distinguished  from  glanders, 
or  the  enlarged  glands  of  catarrh.  In  a  few  days  it  becomes 
more  prominent  and  soft,  and  evidently  contains  a  fluid.  This 
rapidly  increases  ;  the  tumor  bursts,  and  a  great  quantity  of 
pus  is  discharged.  As  soon  as  the  tumor  has  broken,  the 
cough  subsides,  and  the  horse  speedily  mends,  although  some 
degree  of  weakness  may  hang  about  him  for  a  considerable 
time.  Few  horses,  possibly  none,  escape  its  attack  ;  but,  the 
disease  having  passed  over,  the  animal  is  free  from  it  for  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  Catarrh  may  precede,  or  may  predispose 
to,  the  attack,  and,  undoubtedly  the  state  of  the  atmosphere  has 
much  to  do  with  it,  for  both  its  prevalence  and  its  severity  are 
connected  with  certain  seasons  of  the  year  and  changes  of  the 
weather.  There  is  no  preventive  for  the  disease,  nor  is  there 
anything  contagious  about  it.  Many  strange  stories  are  told 
with  regard  to  this  ;  but  the  explanation  of  the  matter  is,  that 
when  several  horses  in  the  same  form,  or  in  the  same  neighbor- 
hood, have  had  strangles  at  the  same  time,  they  have  been  ex- 
posed to  the  same  powerful  but  unknown  exciting  cause. 

As  soon  as  the  tumor  under  the  jaw  is  decidedly  apparent, 
the  part  should  be  actively  blistered.  From  the  thickness  of 
skin,  poultices,  fomentations,  &c.,  are  of  little  avail.  The  blis- 
ter will  also  abate  the  internal  inflammation  and  soreness  of 
the  throat,  and  thus  lessen  the  cough  and  wheezing. 

As  soon  as  the  swelling  is  soft  on  its  summit,  and  evidently 
contains  matter,  it  should  be  freely  and  deeply  lanced.  It  is  a 
bad,  although  frequent  practice,  to  suffer  the  tumor  to  burst 
naturally,  for  a  ragged  ulcer  is  formed,  very  slow  to  heal,  and 
difficult  of  treatment.  If  the  incision  is  deep  and  large  enough, 
no  second  collection  of  matter  will  be  formed  :  and  that  which 
is  already  there  may  be  suffered  to  run  out  slowly,  all  pressure 
with  the  fingers  being  avoided.  The  part  should  be  kept  clean, 
and  a  little  friar's  balsam  daily  injected  into  the  wound. 

The  remainder  of  the  treatment  will  depend  on  the  sjinp- 
toms.  If  there  is  much  fever,  and  evident  affection  of  the 
chest,  and  which  should  carefully  be  distinguished  from  the 
oppression  and  choking  occasioned  by  the  pressure  of  the  tumor 
it  win  be  proper  to  bleed      In  the  majority  of  cases,  however 


THE    PHARYNX.  135 

bleeding  will  not  only  be  unnecessary,  but  injurious.  It  will  delay 
the  suppuration  of  the  tumor,  and  increase  the  subsequent 
debility.  A  few  cooling  medicines,  as  nitre,  emetic  tartar,  and 
perhaps  digitalis,  may  be  given,  as  the  case  requires.  The  appe- 
tite, or  railur  the  ability  to  eat,  will  return  with  the  opening  of 
the  abscess.  Bran-mashes,  or  fresh-cut-grass  or  tares,  should  be 
liberally  supplied,  which  will  not  only  afford  sufficient  nourish- 
ment to  recruit  tiie  strength  of  the  animal,  but  keep  the  bowels 
gently  open.  If  the  weakness  is  not  great,  no  farther  medicine 
will  be  wanted,  except  a  dose  of  mild  physic  in  order  to  prevent 
the  swellings  or  eruptions  which  sometimes  succeed  to  strangles 
In  cases  of  debility,  a  small  quantity  of  tonic  medicine,  as 
chamomile,  gentian,  or  ginger,  may  be  administered.* 


TUE   PHARYNX. 

Proceeding  to  the  back  of  the  mouth,  we  find  the  pharynx 
[camjing  or  conveijing  the  food  towards  the  stomach).  It  com- 
mences at  the  root  of  the  tongue  (see  7,  8  and  9,  Fig.  3.) ;  is 
separated  from  the  mouth  by  the  soft  palate  (7),  which  hangs 
down  from  the  palatine  bone  at  8,  and  extends  to  the  epiglottis 
or  covering  to  the  windpipe. 

In  order  to  understand  the  diseases  of  these  parts,  the  anatomy 
of  the  neck  generally  must  be  considered. 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — A  blister  is,  tinque.  tionably,  the  best  topical 
apphcation  ;  but  it  should  be  washed  off  as  soon  as  it  rises,  by  which  means 
it  can  be  repeated  in  a  day  or  two,  and  so  the  actioL  can  be  kept  up,  which 
will  greatly  promote  the  suppurative  process.  After  the  abscess  is  lanced, 
a  linseed  poultice  will  be  a  very  desirable  application ;  and,  with  regard  to 
injections,  they  may  be  omitted  witl)out  injury.  Although  the  ages  from 
two  to  five  are  the  usual  period  for  strangles  to  appear,  yet  it  occasionally 
attacks  old  animals ;  we  have,  indeed,  known  it  affect  a  horse  sixteen  years 
old,  and  within  the  last  month  an  animal  eight  years  old,  but  such  instances 
are  rare. 

It  is  a  very  desirable  thing  in  strangles  to  get  the  submaxillary  abscess 
to  form  and  suppurate  without  much  delay ;  for  when  it  is  suppressed,  or 
does  not  form  in  this  place,  there  is  sometimes  danger  to  be  apprehended ; 
occasionally,  abscesses  will  form  internally,  and  carry  off  the  patient.  The 
symptoms  of  these  untoward  cases  are  an  unthrifty  coat,  occasional  shiver 
ing  fits,  and  a  pulse  rather  accelerated. 

When  the  glands  remain  hard,  and  do  not  suppurate,  the  disease  is  fre- 
quently termed  bastard  strangles,  and  may  lead  to  glanders.  The  use 
of  iodine,  applied  externally  as  an  ointment,  and  internally  as  hydriodate 
of  potass,  in  daily  doses  of  five  to  ten  grains  combined  with  tonics,  will  be 
found  useful. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE  ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NECK  AND  NEIGH- 
BORING PARTS. 

The  neck  of  the  horse,  and  of  every  animal  belonging  to  the 
class  mammalia^  except  one  species,  is  composed  of  seven  bones 
called  vertebrae,,  movable  or  turning  upon  each  other  (see  Fig.  1). 
They  are  connected  together  by  strong  ligaments,  and  form  sc 
many  distinct  joints,  in  order  to  give  sufficiently  extensive  motion 
to  this  important  part  of  the  body.  The  ailai  has  already  been 
described.  Its  junction  with  the  head  is  the  seat  of  a  very  serious 
and  troublesome  ulcer,  termed 

POLL-EVIL. 

From  the  horse  rub!  jig  and  sometimes  striking  his  poll  against 
the  lower  end  of  the  manger,  or  hanging  back  in  the  stall  and 
bruising  the  part  wi'.n  the  halter — or  from  the  frequent  and  pain- 
ful stretching  of  the  ligaments  and  muscles  by  unnecessary  tight 
reining,  and,  occasionally,  from  a  violent  blow  on  the  poll,  in- 
flammation ensues,  and  a  swelling  appears,  hot,  tender,  and  pain- 
ful. It  used  to  be  a  disease  of  frequent  occurrence,  but  it  is  now,, 
from  better  treatment  of  the  animal,  of  comparatively  rare  oc- 
currence. 

It  has  been  stated,  that  the  ligament  of  the  neck  passes  over 
the  atlas,  or  first  bone,  without  being  attached  to  it,  and  the  seat 
of  inflammation  is  between  the  ligament  and  the  bone  beneath  ; 
and  being  thus  deeply  situated,  it  is  serious  in  its  nature  and  dif- 
ficult of  treatment. 

The  first  thing  to  be  attempted  is  to  abate  the  inflammation 
by  bleeding,  physic,  and  the  application  of  cold  lotions  to  the 
part.  In  a  very  early  period  of  the  case  a  blister  might  have 
considerable  effect.  Strong  purgatives  should  also  be  employed. 
By  these  means  the  tumor  will  sometimes  be  dispersed.  This 
system,  however,  must  not  be  pursued  too  far.  If  the  SAvelling 
ncreases,  and  the  heat  and  tenderness  likewise  nicrease,  mattei 


POLL-EVIL.  137 

will  form  in  the  tumor ;  and  then  our  object  should  be  to  hasten 
its  ibrmation  by  warm  fomentations,  poultices,  or  stimulating 
embrocations.  As  soon  as  the  matter  is  formed,  which  may  be 
known  by  the  softness  of  the  tumor,  and  before  it  has  time  to 
spread  around  and  eat  into  the  neighboring  parts,  it  should  be 
evacuated.  Now  comes  the  whole  art  of  treating  poll-evil ;  tlip 
opening  into  the  tumor  must  be  so  contrived  that  all  the  matter 
shall  run  out,  and  continue  afterwards  to  run  out  as  quickly  as 
it  is  formed,  and  not  collect  at  the  bottom  of  the  ulcer,  irritating 
and  corroding  it.  This  can  be  effected  by  a  seton  alone.  The 
needle  should  enter  at  the  top  of  the  tumor,  penetrate  through 
its  bottom,  and  be  brought  out  at  the  side  of  the  neck,  a  little 
below  the  abscess.  Without  anything  more  than  this,  except 
frequent  fomentation  with  warm  water,  in  order  to  keep  the  part 
clean,  and  to  obviate  inflammation,  poll-evil  in  its  early  stage 
w^ll  frequently  be  cured. 

If  the  ulcer  has  deepened  and  spread,  and  threatens  to  eat  into 
the  ligaments  of  the  joints  of  the  neck,  it  may  be  necessary  to 
stimulate  its  surface,  and  perhaps  painfully  so,  in  order  to  bring 
it  to  a  healthy  state,  and  dispose  it  to  fill  up.  In  extreme  cases, 
some  highly  stimulating  application  may  be  employed.  All 
measures,  however,  will  be  ineffectual,  unless  the  pus  or  matter 
is,  by  the  use  of  setons,  perfectly  evacuated.  The  application  of 
these  setons  will  require  the  skill  and  anatomical  knowledge  of 
the  veteiinary  surgeon.  In  desperate  cases,  the  wound  cannot 
be  fairly  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  caustic  without  the  division 
of  the  ligament  of  the  neck.  This  may  be  effected  wdth  perfect 
safety ;  for  although  the  ligament  is  carried  on  to  the  occipital 
bone,  and  some  strength  is  gained  by  this  prolongation  of  it,  the 
main  stress  is  on  the  second  bone  ;  and  the  head  wdll  continue  to 
be  supported.  The  divided  ligament,  also,  will  soon  unite  again, 
and  its  former  usefulness  will  be  restored  when  the  wound  is 
healed.  =^ 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — All  cooling  applications  to  the  poll-evil  are  use- 
less, for  when  once  the  swelling  which  constitutes  the  disease  has  appeared 
we  have  never  known  it  dispersed,  but  sooner  or  later  it  suppurates.  It 
often  takes  many  months  before  the  matter  reaches  the  surface ;  but  the 
more  complete  the  suppuration  is,  the  easier  it  is  to  effect  a  cure.  The  in- 
jury, which  generally  arises  from  striking  the  poll  against  a  low  door-way, 
is  deep-seated,  and  the  surface  of  the  bone  is  often  diseased  from  the  be- 
ginning. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  poll-evil  is  very  difficult  to  cure,  a  difficulty 
arising  not  from  the  character  of  the  injury,  but  rather  from  its  situation,  and 
the  nature  of  the  surrounding  parts.  When  matter  forms  in  any  situation 
it  has  a  tendency  to  pass  downwards,  and  to  seek  an  exit  where  the  least 
obstacles  are  offered  to  its  passtvge.  It  consequently  forms  passages  or 
sinuses  (pipesj  amongst  the  muscles,  and,  when  these  are  filled,  the  matter 
points  to  the  surface.     This  tendency  contLaues  after  an  external  openins:  \9 


138  MUSCLES  AND  FORM  OF  NECK. 


THE  MUSCLES  AND  PROPER  FORM  OF  THE  NECK. 

The  bones  of  the  neck  serve  as  the  frame-work  to  which  nu 
merous  muscles  concerned  in  the  motions  of  the  head  and  neck 
are  attached.  The  weight  of  the  head  and  neck  is  supported  by 
the  ligament  without  muscular  aid,  and  without  fatigue  to  the 
animal ;  but  in  order  to  raise  the  head  higher,  or  to  lower  it,  or 
to  turn  it  in  every  direction,  a  complicated  system  of  muscles  is 
necessary. 

The  sjdenius  muscle  (c.  Fig.  12)  is  the  principal  one  concerned 
in  this.  It  gives  its  bulk  to  the  neck  above,  and  the  beauty  of 
that  member  depends  mainly  upon  it.  It  was  admirably  devel- 
oped in  the  horse  of  whose  neck  the  annexed  cut  (Fig.  25)  gives 
an  accurate  delineation. 


made,  and  deep  sinuses  are  formed  in  various  directions,  rendering  it  alnost 
impossible  to  get  a  depending  opening. 

The  abscess  should  not  be  opened  till  the  matter  is  thoroughly  formed, 
and  then  a  depending  opening  should  be  made,  through  which  a  seton  may 
be  passed.  The  great  error  frequently  made  in  the  treatment  of  poll-evil  is, 
that  these  openings  are  not  made  half  large  enough,  so  that  much  of  the 
pus  flows  in  another  direction,  and  there  forms  sinuses.  Now,  the  chief  art 
in  the  treatment  of  this  disease  is  to  use  the  bistoury  freely,  to  lay  all  the 
sinuses  open  as  much  as  possible,  and  to  throw  them  together  ;  then  to  make 
the  lower  opening  extremely  large,  and  as  low  down  as  possible,  large 
enough,  indeed,  for  two  fingers  to  be  inserted.  If  the  bone  is  injured,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  apply  some  caustic  application,  in  order  to  cause  a  healthy 
slough.  Pressure  is  found  very  useful  in  keeping  the  sides  of  the  wound 
together,  and  preventing  the  formation  of  sinuses.  With  this  view,  i'^  >^ag 
been  recommended  to  apply  a  tight  compress,  by  means  of  bandages,  round 
the  part,  but  it  is  extremely  inconvenient  to  apply  them  in  consequence  of 
the  windpipe  interfering. 


MUSCLES  AND  FORM  OF  NECK.  139 

If  tlie  curve  were  quite  regular  from  the  poll  to  the  withers, 
we  should  call  it  a  perfect  neck.  It  is  rather  a  long  neck,  and 
we  do  not  like  it  the  less  for  that.  In  the  carriage-horse,  a  neck 
that  is  not  half  concealed  by  the  collar  is  indispensable,  so  far  as 
appearance  goes  ;  and  it  is  only  the  horse  with  a  neck  of  tolera- 
ble length  that  will  bear  to  be  reined  up,  so  as  to  give  this  part 
the  arched  and  beautiful  appearance  which  fashion  demands.  It 
is  no  detriment  to  the  ridmg-horse,  and  there  are  few  horses  of 
extraordinaiy  speed  that  have  not  the  neck  rather  long.  The 
race-horse  at  the  top  of"  his  speed  not  only  extends  it  as  far  as  he 
can,  that  the  air-passages  may  be  as  straight  as  he  can  make 
them,  and  that  he  may  therefore  be  able  to  breathe  more  freely, 
but  the  weight  of  the  head  and  neck,  and  the  effect  increasing 
with  their  distance  from  the  trunk,  add  materially  to  the  rapidity 
of  the  animal's  motion.  It  has  been  said,  that  a  horse  with  a  long 
neck  will  bear  heavy  on  the  hand  ;  neither  the  length  of  the  neck 
nor  even  the  bulk  of  the  head  has  any  influence  in  causing  this. 
They  are  both  counterbalanced  by  the  power  of  the  ligament  of 
the  neck.  The  setting  on  of  the  head  is  most  of  all  connected 
with  heavy  bearing  on  the  hand,  and  a  short-necked  horse  will 
bear  heavily,  because,  from  the  thickness  of  the  lower  part  of  the 
neck,  consequent  on  its  shortness,  the  head  cannot  be  rightly 
placed,  nor,  generally,  the  shoulder. 

However  fine  at  the  top,  the  neck  should  be  muscular  at  the 
bottom,  or  it  generally  indicates  a  weak  and  worthless  animal. 
It  is  then  called  a  loose  neck. 

The  principal  bulk  of  the  lower  part  of  the  neck  is  composed 
of  the  comiilexiis  major,  or  larger  complicated  muscle.  If  its 
action  is  habitually  too  powerful,  the  muzzle  is  protruded,  and 
the  horse  becomes  what  is  technically  called  a  star-gazer .  He 
IS  heavy  in  hand,  and  even  the  martingale  will  not  ordinarily 
remedy  the  difficulty. 

Comiected  with  this  is  another  unsightly  deformity.  The  horse 
is  ewe-necked ;  i.  e.  the  neck  is  hollowed  above,  and  arched  be- 
low. His  head  can  never  be  fairly  got  down,  and  the  bearing 
rein  of  harness  is  a  source  of  constant  torture  to  him. 

The  mane  is  a  matter  of  some  importance.  In  a  wild  state, 
the  horse  has  many  battles  to  fight,  and  his  neck,  deprived  of  the 
mane,  would  be  a  vulnerable  part.  The  hair  of  the  mane,  the 
tail,  and  the  legs,  is  not  shed  in  the  same  manner  as  that  on  the 
body.  It  does  not  fall  so  regularly,  nor  so  often  ;  for,  if  all  were 
shed  at  once,  the  parts  would  be  for  a  long  time  defenceless. 

The  mane  is  generally  dressed  so  as  to  lie  on  the  right  side — 
some  persons  divide  it  equally  on  both  sides.  For  ponies,  it  used 
to  be  cut  off  near  the  roots,  only  a  few  stumps  being  left  to  stand 
perpendicularly.     This  was  termed  the  hog-mane.     The  groom 


140  BLOOD-VESSELS    AND VEINS    OF    THE    NECK. 

sometimes  bestows  a  great  deal  of  pains  in  getting  the  mane  of 
his  horse  into  good  and  fashionable  order.  It  is  wetted,  and 
plaited,  and  loaded  with  lead  ;  and  every  hair  that  is  a  little 
too  long  is  pulled  out.  The  mane  and  tail  of  the  heavy  draught- 
horse  are  seldom  thin  ;  but  on  the  well-bred  horse,  the  than, 
well-arranged  mane  is  very  ornamental 


THE  BLOOD-VESSELS  OF  THE  N'ECK. 

Running  down  the  under  part  of  the  neck,  are  the  principal 
blood-vessels,  going  to  and  returning  from  the  head,  with  the 
windpipe  and  gullet.  Our  cut  could  not  give  a  view  of  the 
arteries  that  carry  the  blood  from  the  heart  to  the  head,  because 
they  are  too  deeply  seated.  The  external  arteries  are  the  carotid, 
of  which  there  are  two.  They  ascend  the  neck  on  either  side, 
close  to  the  windpipe,  until  they  have  reached  the  middle  of 
the  neck,  where  they  sometimes  diverge,  and  lie  more  deeply. 

The  vertebral  arteric*  run  through  the  bones  of  the  neck, 
supplying  the  neighboring  parts  as  they  climb,  and  at  length  enter 
the  skull  at  the  large  hole  in  the  occipital  bone,  and  ramily 
on  and  supply  the  brain. 

It  is  rarely  or  never  necessary  to  bleed  from  an  artery.  If  an 
artery  is  opened  in  the  direction  in  which  it  runs,  there  is  usually 
great  difficulty  in  stopping  the  bleeding,  and  it  is  sometimes  ne- 
cessary to  tie  the  vessel  to  accomplish  this  :  if  cut  across,  it  re- 
tracts, and  after  the  first  gush  of  blood,  no  more  is  obtained. 

THE   VEINS  OF  THE  NECK. 

The  external  veins  which  return  the  blood  from  the  head  to 
the  heart  are  the  jugulars.  The  horse  has  but  one  on  either 
side.  The  human  being  and  the  ox  have  two.  The  jugular 
takes  its  rise  from  the  base  of  the  skull ;  it  then  descends,  receiv- 
ing other  branches  in  its  way  towards  the  angle  of  the  jaw  and 
behind  the  parotid  gland  ;  and  emerging  from  that,  as  seen  at  t, 
Fig.  12,  and  being  united  to  a  large  branch  from  the  face,  it  takes 
its  course  down  the  neck.  Veterinary  surgeons  and  horsemen 
have  agreed  to  adopt  the  jugular,  a  little  way  below  the  union 
of  these  two  branches,  as  the  usual  place  for  bleeding  ;  and  a 
very  convenient  one  it  is,  for  it  is  easily  got  at,  and  the  vessel 
is  large.  The  manner  of  bleeding,  &c.,  will  hereafter  be  adverted 
to.     (See  page  166.) 


INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    VEIN.  141 


INFLAMMATION   OF   THE   VEIN. 

It  is  usual  and  proper,  after  bleeding,  to  bring  the  edges  of  the 
wound  carefully  together,  and  to  hold  them  in  contact  by  insert- 
ing a  pin  through  the  skin,  with  a  little  tow  twisted  round  it. 
In  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred,  the  wound  quickly  heals, 
and  gives  no  trouble  ;  but  in  a  few  instances,  from  using  a  blunt 
instrument,  or  a  dirty  or  rusty  one  ;  or  striking  too  hard,  and 
bruising  the  vein  ;  or,  in  the  act  of  pinning  up,  pulling  the 
skin  too  far  from  the  neck,  and  suffering  some  blood  to  insinu- 
ate itself  into  the  cellular  texture  ;  or  neglecting  to  tie  the 
horse  up  for  a  little  while,  and  thus  enabling  him  to  rub  the 
bleeding  place  against  the  manger  and  tear  out  the  pin  ;  or 
from  the  animal  being  worked  immediately  afterward  ;  or  the 
reins  of  the  bridle  rubbing  against  it  ;  or  several  blows  having 
been  clumsily  given,  and  a  large  and  ragged  wound  made  ;  or 
from  some  disposition  to  inflammation  about  the  horse  (for  the 
bleeder  is  not  always  in  fault)  the  wound  does  not  heal,  or,  if  it 
closes  for  a  little  while,  it  re-opens.  A  slight  bleeding  appears 
— some  tumefaction  commences — the  edges  of  the  orifice  sepa- 
rate, and  become  swollen  and  red — a  discharge  of  sanious,  bloody 
fluid  proceeds  from  the  wound,  followed,  perhaps,  in  a  feAV  days, 
by  purulent  matter.  The  neck  swells,  and  is  hot  and  tender 
both  above  and  below  the  incision.  The  lips  of  the  wound  be- 
come everted — the  swelling  increases,  particularly  above  the 
wound,  where  the  vein  is  most  hard  and  cordy — the  horse  begins 
to  loathe  his  food,  and  little  abscesses  form  round  the  orifice. 
The  cordiness  of  the  vein  rapidly  increases.  Not  only  the  vein 
itself  has  become  obstructed  and  its  coats  thickened,  but  the  cel- 
lular tissue  inflamed  and  hardened,  and  is  an  additional  source  of 
irritation  and  torture. 

The  thickening  of  the  vein  extends  to  the  bifurcation  above  : 
it  occupies  both  branches,  and  extends  downward  to  the  chest — 
even  to  the  very  heart  itself,  and  the  patient  dies. 

Of  the  means  of  cure  it  is  dilflcult  to  speak  confidently.  The 
wound  should  be  carefully  examined — the  divided  edges  brought 
mto  exact  apposition,  and  any  hair  interposed  between  them  re- 
moved— the  pin  withdrawn  or  not,  according  to  circumstances — 
the  part  carefully  and  long  fomented,  and  a  dose  of  physic  admin- 
istered. If  two  or  three  days  have  passed  and  the  discharge  still 
remains,  the  application  of  the  budding-iron — not  too  large  or  too 
not — may  produce  engorgement  of  the  neighboring  part's,  and  union 
of  the  lips  of  the  wound.  Th's  should  be  daily,  or  every  second 
day,  repeated,  according  to  circumstances.  A  blister  applied  over 
the  orifice,  or  as  far  as  the  mischief  extends,  will  often  be  ser- 


142  THE    PALATE LARYNX. 

viceable.  Here,  likewise,  the  parts  will  be  brought  into  contact 
with  each  other,  and  pressed  together,  and  union  may  be  effected. 

The  owner  of  the  horse  will  find  it  his  interest  to  apply  to  a 
veterinary  practitioner  as  soon  as  a  case  of  inflamed  vein  occurs. 

Should  the  vein  be  destroyed,  the  horse  will  not  be  irrepara- 
bly injured,  and  perhaps  at  no  great  distance  of  time,  scarcely 
njured  at  all.=* 

THE  PALATE— (resumed). 

At  the  back  of  the  paiate  (see  Fig.  3),  and  attached  to  the 
crescent-shaped  border  of  the  palatine  bone,  is  a  dense  membra- 
nous curtain,  called  the  velum  2^cdctti,  so  arranged  that  the  horse 
can  breathe  through  his  nostrils  alone,  and  in  the  act  of  vomiting, 
the  contents  of  the  stomach  are  ejected  the  same  way,  and  not 
by  the  mouth.  On  this  account  it  is,  and  on  account  of  the  struc- 
ture of  the  entrance  of  the  stomach,  that  the  horse  can  with  great 
difficulty  be  excited  to  vomit. 

THE  LARYNX 

Is  placed  on  the  top  of  the  windpipe  (see  1,  Fig.  3)  and  is  the 
inner  guard  of  the  lungs,  if  any  injurious  substance  should  pene- 
trate so  far ;  it  is  the  main  protection  against  the  passage  of  food 
into  the  respiratory  tubes,  and  it  is  at  the  same  time  the  instru- 
ment of  voice. 

The  Epiglottis  (see  2,  Fig.  3),  is  a  heart-shaped  cartilage, 
placed  at  the  extremity  of  the  opening  into  the  windpipe,  with 
its  back  opposed  to  the  pharynx,  so  that  when  a  pellet  of 
food  passes  the  pharynx  in  its  way  to  the  oesophagus,  it  presses 
down  the  epiglottis,  and  by  this  means,  as  already  described, 
closes  the  aperture  of  the  larynx,  and  prevents  any  food  from 
entering    it.     The   food  having  passed  over  the  epiglottis,  from 

*  Ao^e  by  Mr.  Spooner. — This  disease  sometimes  occurs  when  bleeding 
has  been  performed  with  the  utmost  care  and  skill. 

The  course  of  treatment  which  a  considerable  experience  of  the  disease 
has  induced  us  to  adopt,  is  to  avoid  all  setons,  and  dissecting  out  the  vein, 
and  above  all,  caustic  injection,  whicli  we  have  known  to  produce  a  fatal 
result.  First  allay  the  superficial  inflammation  by  cold  applications,  and 
then  blister  the  part,  washing  off  the  effects  of  the  blistex  the  following  day, 
and  repeating  it  several  times.  The  ointment  of  iodine  may  be  alternated 
with  the  blister  to  advantage.  During  this  time,  the  horse's  head  should 
be  tied  up  to  the  rack,  and  he  should  be  fed  on  such  food  as  will  not  require 
any  considerable  action  of  the  jaws,  such  as  bran  mashes,  scalded  oats,  car- 
rots, and  but  very  little  hay.  In  a  few  weeks  the  swelling  will  become  re- 
duced, the  blood  find  new  channels,  and  the  horse  will  become  as  useful  as 
ever.  We  have  never  known  this  treatment  to  fail.  In  a  few  instances  it 
may  be  necessary  to  apply  the  iron  to  the  edges  of  the  wound,  and  use 
other  methods  to  stop  bleeding. 


I 


WINDPIPE TRACHEOTOMY.  143 

its  own  elasticity  and  that  of  the  membrane  at  its  base,  and 
more  particularly  the  power  of  the  hyo-epiglotideus  muscle, 
rises  again  and  resumes  its  former  situation. 

The  Thyroid  Cartilage  (see  1,  Fig.  3)  occupies  almost  the 
whole  of  the  external  part  of  the  larynx,  both  anteriorly  and 
laterally.     It  envelops  and  protects  all  the  rest. 

THE   TRACHEA  OR  WINDPIPE. 

The  windpipe  is  composed  of  an  elastic  cartilage,  divided  into 
rings  (50  or  52),  sufficiently  firm  to  resist  ordinary  pressure,  and 
united  together  by  means  of  an  interposed  highly  elastic  fibro- 
iigamentous  substance,  which,  in  efiect,  constitutes  a  joint  be- 
tween each  ring,  giving  the  necessary  flexibility  to  all  its  mo- 
tions, and  admitting  of  elongation  when  the  head  is  stretched  up- 
ward or  downward. 

It  is  indisputable  that  the  windpipe  should  be  prominent  and 
loose  on  the  neck,  in  the  horse  from  which  active  exertion  is  re- 
quired, and  which  consequently  is  subjected  to  hurried  respiration. 
It  is  not  commonly  found  thus  in  large  slow  beasts,  like  the  cart- 
horse, nor  is  it  necessary. 

TRACHEOTOMY. 

It  has  been  found  that  when  obstructions,  not  speedily  re- 
movable enough  for  safety,  occur  in  the  windpipe  of  the  horse, 
a  portion  of  the  trachea  may  be  safely  removed,  on  or  below  the 
point  of  obstruction,  to  admit  of  the  continuance  of  respiration. 

The  operation  must  be  performed  while  the  horse  is  standing, 
and  secured  by  a  side-line,  for  he  would,  probably,  be  sulibcated 
amidst  the  struggles  with  which  he  would  resist  the  act  of 
throwing.  The  twitch  is  then  firmly  fixed  on  the  muzzle  ;  the 
operator  stands  on  a  stool  or  pail,  by  which  means  he  can  more 
perfectly  command  the  part,  and  an  assistant  holds  a  scalpel,  a 
bistoury,  scissors,  curvecf  needles  armed,  and  a  moist  sponge. 

The  operator  should  once  more  examine  the  whole  course  of 
the  windpipe,  and  the  difierent  sounds  which  he  will  be  able  to 
detect  by  the  application  of  the  ear,  and  likewise  the  difierent 
degrees  of  temperature  and  of  tenderness  wliich  the  finger  will 
detect,  will  guide  to  the  seat  of  the  evil. 

The  hair  is  to  be  closely  cut  oft^  from  the  part,  the  skin  tight- 
ened across  the  trachea  with  the  thumb  and  fingers  of  the  left 
hand,  and  then  a  longitudinal  incision  cautiously  made  through 
the  skin,  three  inches  in  length.  This  is  usually  efiected  when 
there  is  no  express  indication  to  the  contraiy  on  the  fifth  and 
sixth  rin^s  ;  a  slip  from  which,  and  the  connecting  ligament 


144  THE    BRONCHIAL    TUBES. 

above  and  below,  about  half  the  width  of  each  ring,  should  be 
excised  with  the  intervening  ligament.  The  remaining  portion 
will  then  be  strong  enough  to  retain  the  perfect  arched  ibrm  of 
the  trachea. 

If  the  orifice  is  only  to  be  kept  open  while  some  foreign  body 
is  extracted,  or  tumor  removed,  or  ulcer  healed,  or  inflammation 
subdued,  nothing  more  is  necessary  than  to  keep  the  lips  of  the 
wound  a  little  apart,  by  passing  some  thread  through  each,  and 
slightly  everting  them,  and  tying  the  threads  to  the  mane. 

If,  however,  there  is  any  permanent  obstruction,  a  tube  will 
De  necessary.  It  should  be  two  or  three  inches  long,  curved  at 
the  top,  and  the  external  orifice  turning  downwards  with  a  little 
ring  on  each  side,  by  which,  through  the  means  of  strings,  it 
may  be  retained  in  its  situation. 

The  purpose  of  the  operation  being  answered,  the  flaps  of  in- 
tegument must  be  brought  over  the  wc-unds,  the  edges,  if  neces- 
sary, diminished,  and  the  parts  kept  in  apposition  by  a  few 
stitches.  The  cartilage  will  be  perfectly  reproduced,  only  the 
rings  will  be  a  Httle  thicker  and  wider. 


THE  BROI^CHIAL    TUBES. 

After  the  windpipe  has  entered  the  chest,  and  continued 
through  the  mediastinum  to  the  base  of  the  heart,  it  divides 
into  two  tubes — the  Bronchial  tubes — which  enter  each  lung, 
where  they  are  again  subdivided  into  smaller  tubes  carrying  air 
to  every  portion  and  cell  of  the  lungs.  Before  considering  their 
diseases,  we  will  pause  and  consider  the  structure  and  functions 
of  the  chest. 


b 

a  The  first  rib. 

b  The  cartilages  of  the  eleven  hindermost,  or  false  ribs,  connected  together  and 

unitins:  with  that  of  the  seventh  or  last  true  rib. 
c  The  breast-bone. 
d  The  top,  or  point,  of  the  withers,  which  are  formed  by  the  lengthened  spinous, 

or  upright  processes  of  the  ten  or  eleven  first  bones  of  the  back.     The 

bones  of  the  back  are  eighteen  in  number. 
e  The  ribs,  usually  eighteen  on  each  side  ;  the  seven  first  united  to  the  breast- 
bone by  cartilage;  the  cartilages  of  the  remaining  eleven  united   to 

each  other,  as  at  b. 
f  That  portion  of  the  spine  where  the  loins  coinmence,  and  composed  of  five 

bones. 
g  The  bones  forming  the  hip,  or  haunch,  and  into  the  hole  at  the  bottom  of 

which  the  head  of  the  thigh-bone  is  received. 
The  portion  of  the  spine  belonging  to  the  haunch,  and  consisting  of  five 

pieces. 
The  bones  of  the  tail,  usually  fifteen  in  number. 

The  chest,  in  the  horizontal  position  in  which  it  is  placed  in 
the  cut,  is  of  a  somewhat  oval  figure,  with  its  extremities  trun- 
cated (cut  off).  The  spine  is  its  roof;  the  sternum,  or  breast, 
its  floor ;  the  ribs,  its  sides ;  the  trachea,  oesophagus,  and  great 
blood-vessels  passing'  through  its  anterior  extremity  and  the  dia- 
])hragm,  being  its  posterior.  It  is  contracted  in  front,  broad  and 
deep  towards  the  central  boundary,  and  again  contracted  pos- 
\eriorly.     It  encloses  the  heart  and  the  lungs,  the  origin  of  the 


1   '0  Tf!K    CHEST. 

.arterial  and  the  termination  of  the  venous  trunks  and  the  col 
'ected  vessels  of  the  absorhents.  The  windpipe  penetrates  into 
it,  aiid  the  cesophagus  traverses  its  whole  extent. 

Most  ingeniously  and  admirably  is  this  whole  structure  con- 
trived to  fill  its  various  purposes. 

The  ribs  are  eighteen  in  number  on  either  side.  Nine  of 
them  are  perfect,  and  commonly  called  the  true,  or,  more 
properly,  sternal  ribs,  extending  from  the  spine  to  the  sternum. 
The  remaining  nine  are  posterior  and  shorter,  and  are  only  indi- 
rectly connected  with  the  sternum. 

The  ribs  are  united  to  the  corresponding  vertebrae,  or  bones  of 
the  spme,  so  as  to  form  perfect  joints — or,  rather,  each  rib  forms 
two  joints.  Before  the  ribs  reach  the  sternum,  they  terminate  in  a 
cartilagmous  prolongation.  The  cartilage  is  united  to  the  ribs 
and  sternum  by  joints,  and  the  cartilages  of  the  posterior  ribs 
are  united  to  them  in  the  same  manner. 

The  stermmi,  or  breast-bone,  is  a  long,  flat,  spongy  bone,  form- 
ing the  floor  of  the  chest.  It  supports  the  ribs  by  the  connect- 
ing cartilage.  It  is  composed  of  from  seven  to  nine  pieces 
united  together  by  cartilage.  The  point  of  the  breast-bone  is 
occasionally  injured  by  blows,  and  has  even  been  completely 
broken  off.  A  kind  of  tumor  on  it,  difficult  to  heal,  has  also 
been  produced  by  some  cruelty  or  violence. 

The  front  of  the  chest  is  a  very  important  consideration  in 
the  structure  of  the  horse.  It  should  be  prominent  and  broad, 
and  full,  and  the  sides  of  it  well  occupied.  When  the  breast  is 
narrow,  the  chest  has  generally  the  same  appearance  :  the 
animal  is  flat-sided,  the  proper  cavity  of  the  chest  is  diminished, 
and  the  stamina  of  the  horse  are  materially  diminished,  although, 
perhaps,  his  speed  for  short  distances  may  not  be  affected. 
When  the  chest  is  narrow,  and  the  fore-legs  are  too  close  to- 
gether, in  addition  to  the  want  of  bottom,  they  will  interfere 
with  each  other,  and  there  will  be  wounds  on  the  fetlocks,  and 
bruises  below  the  knee. 

A  chest  too  broad  is  not  desirable,  but  a  fleshy  and  a  prominent 
one ;  yet  even  this,  perhaps,  may  require  some  explanation. 
When  the  fore-legs  appear  to  recede,  and  to  shelter  themselves 
under  the  body,  there  is  a  faulty  position  of  the  fore  limbs,  a 
bend,  or  standing  over,  an  unnatural  lengthiness  about  the  fore 
parts  of  the  breast,  sadly  disadvantageous  in  progression. 

The  hitercGStal  Muscles. — The  spaces  between  the  ribs  are 
occupied  by  muscles  firmly  attached  to  their  edges,  the  fibres  of 
which  cross  each  other  in  the  form  of  the  letter  X.  By  the  pro- 
longation thus  obtained,  they  have  a  much  greater  latitude  of 
ar'tion,  than  they  would  have  if  they  run  straight  from  rib  to  rib 

The  ribs,  while  they  protect  the  important  viscera  of  the  the- 


PROPlSR   FORM    OF    THE    CHEST.  147 

rax  from  injury,  are  powerful  agents  in  extending  and  contract- 
ing the  chest  in  the  alternate  inspiration  and  expiration  ol"  air. 

TJie  Proper  Form  of  the  Chest. — This  leads  to  a  very  im- 
portant consideration,  the  most  advantageous  form  of  the  chest 
for  the  proper  discharge  of  the  natural  or  extraordinary  functions 
of  the  thoracic  viscera.  The  contents  of  the  chest  are  the 
lungs  and  the  heart : — the  first,  to  render  the  blood  nutrient  and 
stinmlating,  and  to  give  or  restore  it  to  that  vitality  which  will 
enable  it  to  support  every  part  of  the  frame  in  the  discharge  of 
its  function,  and  devoid  of  which,  the  complicated  and  beautiful 
machine  is  inert  and  dead  ;  and  the  second,  to  convey  this  puri- 
fied arterialized  blood  to  every  part  of  the  frame. 

In  order  to  produce,  and  to  convey  to  the  various  parts,  a  suf- 
ficient quantity  of  blood,  these  organs  must  be  large.  If  it 
amounts  not  to  hypertrophy,  the  larger  the  heart  and  the  larger 
the  lungs,  the  more  rapid  the  process  of  nutrition,  and  the  more 
perfect  the  discharge  of  every  animal  function. 

Then  it  might  be  imagined  that,  as  a  circle  is  a  figure  which 
contains  more  than  any  other  of  equal  girth  and  admeasurement, 
a  circular  form  of  the  chest  would  be  most  advantageous.  Not 
exactly  so  ;  for  the  contents  of  the  chest  are  alternately  expand- 
ing and  contracting.  The  circular  chest  could  not  expand,  but 
every  change  of  form  would  be  a  diminution  of  capacity. 

That  form  of  chest  which  approaches  nearest  to  a  circle,  while 
it  admits  of  sufficient  expansion  and  contraction,  is  the  best — 
certainly  for  some  animals,  and  for  all  under  peculiar  circum- 
stances, and  with  reference  to  the  discharge  of  certain  functions. 
This-  was  the  grand  principle  on  which  Mr.  Bakewell  proceeded, 
and  on  which  all  our  improvements  in  the  breeding  of  cattle 
were  founded. 

In  the  heavy  draft-horse,  the  circular  chest  is  no  disadvantage, 
and  it  gives  him,  what  we  require,  weight  to  oppose  the  weight 
of  his  load.     Speed  is  not  demanded  of  him. 

Some  of  our  saddle-horses  and  cobs  have  barrels  round  enough, 
and  we  value  them  on  account  of  it,  for  they  are  always  in  con- 
dition, and  they  rarely  tire.  But  when  we  look  at  them  more 
carefully,  there  is  just  that  departure  from  the  circular  form  of 
which  mention  has  been  made — that  happy  medium  betweer 
the  circle  and  the  ellipse,  which  retains  the  capacity  of  the  on< 
and  the  expansibility  of  the  other.  Such  a  horse  is  invaluable  foi 
common  purposes,  but  he  is  seldom  a  horse  of  speed.  If  he  is  per- 
mitted to  go  his  OMTi  pace,  and  that  not  a  slow  one,  he  v^dll  work 
on  forever ;  but  if  he  is  too  much  hurried,  he  is  soon  distressed 

The  Broad  JDeep  Chest. — Then  for  the  usual  purposes  of  the 
road,  and  more  particularly  for  rapid  progression,  search  is  made 
for  that  form  of  the  chest  which  shall  unite,  and  to  as  great  a 


148  FORM    OF    CHEST 

degree  as  possible,  considerable  capacity  in  a  quiescent  state,  and 
the  power  of  increasing  that  capacity  when  the  animal  requires 
it.  There  must  be  the  broad  chest  for  the  production  of  muscles 
and  sinews,  and  the  deep  chest,  to  give  the  capacity  or  power 
of  furnishing  arterial  blood  equal  to  the  most  rapid  exhaustion 
of  vitality. 

This  form  of  the  chest  is  consistent  A^dth  lightness,  or  at  least 
with  all  the  lightness  that  can  be  rationally  required.  The 
broad-chested  horse,  or  he  that,  with  moderate  depth  at  the 
girth,  swells  and  barrels  out  immediately  behind  the  elbow,  may 
have  as  light  a  forehead  and  as  elevated  a  wither  as  the  horse 
with  the  narrowest  chest ;  but  the  animal  with  the  barrel  ap- 
proaching too  near  to  rotundity  is  invariably  heavy  about  the 
shoulders  and  low  in  the  withers.  It  is  to  the  mixture  of  the 
Arabian  blood  that  we  principally  owe  this  peculiar  and  advan- 
tageous formation  of  the  chest  of  the  horse.  The  Arab  is  light ; 
some  would  say  too  much  so  before  :  but  immediately  behind  the 
arms  the  barrel  almost  invariably  swells  out,  and  leaves  plenty 
of  room,  and  where  it  is  most  wanted  for  the  play  of  the  lungs,  and 
at  the  same  time  where  the  weight  does  not  press  so  exclusively 
on  the  fore-legs,  and  expose  the  feet  to  concussion  and  injury. 

Many  horses  with  narrow  chests,  and  a  great  deal  of  daylight 
under  them,  have  plenty  of  spirit  and  willingness  for  work. 
They  show  themselves  well  off,  and  exhibit  the  address  and 
gratify  the  vanity  of  their  riders  on  the  parade  or  in  the  park, 
but  they  have  not  the  appetite  nor  the  endurance  that  will  carry 
them  through  three  successive  days'  hard  work. 

Five  out  of  six  of  the  animals  that  perish  from  inflamed  lungs, 
are  narrow-chested.  There  are  many  other  important  points, 
but  that  which  is  most  of  all  connected  with  the  general  health 
of  the  animal,  and  with  combined  fleetness  or  bottom,  is  a  deep, 
and  broad,  and  swelling  chest,  with  sufficient  lengthening  of  the 
sternum,  or  breast-bone,  beneath.* 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — In  speedy  animals  the  chest  is,  no  doubt,  more 
capacious  than  in  slower  ones,  and  a  greater  quantity  of  atmospheric  air  is 
inspired,  so  as  to  afford  a  full  supply  for  the  purpose  of  respiration.  This 
large  capacity  is  gained,  however,  not  by  the  greater  rotundity  of  the  chest, 
but  by  its  increased  depth  and  length,  more  particularly  the  former.  It  is 
very  evident  that  a  circular  chest  must  present  a  very  unfavorable  surface 
for  the  attachment  of  the  shoulder  blade,  and,  indeed,  must  induce  a  rolhng 
action  which  is  inimical  to  speed  ;  thus  we  find  that  animals  wnth  very  cir- 
cular chests,  and  with  their  fore-legs,  in  consequence,  wide  apart,  are  by  no 
means  speedy,  but  have  a  great  predisposition  to  the  accumulation  of  fat. 
In  such  animals  a  considerable  quantity  of  fat  is  generally  found  round  the 
heart  and  in  otlier  parts  of  the  chest,  so  that,  in  point  of  fact,  animals  with 
circular  chests  have  smaller  lungs  than  those  with  deep  and  flat  ribs.  It  ifi 
extremely  desirable  for  a  cart-horse  to  have  a  circular  chest,  as  this  de 


THE    SPINE.  149 

The  above  remarks  show  the  impropriety  of  tigfht-gir thing, 
particularly  where  it  is  less  necessary,  as  in  the  stable,  or  when 
the  rider  is  oH"  from  the  saddle. 

A  point  of  consequence  is  the  length  of  the  carcase  and  the 
ribbing  home.  If  the  horse  has  to  carry  a  heavy  weight,  and 
has  much  work  to  do,  he  should  be  w^ell  ribbed  home,  i.  e. 
there  should  be  but  little  space  between  the  last  rib  and  the  hip- 
bone. 

If  speed,  however,  is  required,  there  must  be  room  for  the  full 
action  of  the  hinder  limbs  ;  and  this  can  only  exist  where  there 
is  sufficient  space  between  the  last  rib  and  the  hip-bone. 

The  thorax,  or  chest,  is  formed  by  the  spine  f,  above  (Fig. 
26)  the  ribs  e,  on  either  side  ;  and  the  sternum,  or  breast-bone, 
c,  beneath. 

THE  SPINE  AND  BACK. 

The  spine,  or  back,  consists  of  a  chain  of  bones  from  the  poll 
to  the  extremity  of  the  tail.  It  is  made  of  twenty-three  bones 
from  the  neck  to  the  haunch  ;  eighteen,  called  dorsal  vertebrcB, 
composing  the  back  ;  and  five  lumbar  vertebrcB,  occupying  the 
loins.  The  structure  and  attachments  of  these  are  remarkably 
well  calculated  for  easiness  of  carriage  and  strength.  The  hun- 
ter  will  carry  a  heavy  man  through  a  long  chase  without  great 
fatigue  or  strain  ;  but  if  the  horse  is  over-weighted,  or  tasked  too 
long,  or  too  suddenly  pulled  upon  his  haunches,  the  ligaments 
miiting  the  vertebrae  are  strained,  inflammation  follows,  and  the 
ligaments  become  changed  to  bone.  From  hard  service,  and 
especially  from  being  used  too  young,  very  many  horses  have 
some  of  the  bones  ol"  the  back  or  loins  anchyhsed — i.  e.  united 
by  bony  matter  in  the  place  of  the  natural  ligament.  When 
this  exists  to  any  considerable  extent,  the  horse  becomes  un- 
pleasant to  ride,  turns  with  difficulty  in  his  stall,  is  indisposed 
to  lie  down,  or  being  down,  to  rise,  and  has  a  singular  straddling 
action. 

The  length  of  the  back  deserves  attention.  The  long-backed 
horse  will  be  easier  in  his  paces,  because  the  spring  is  longer  ; 
and  he  is  formed  for  speed,  for  there  is  more  room  to  bring  his 
hinder  legs  under  him.  But  he  will  be  comparatively  weak  in 
the  back,  and  more  easily  over- weighted. 

For  general  purposes  the  horse  with  a  short  carcase,  also,  is  to 
be  preferred,  as  possessing  greater  health  and  hardiness.  He  will 
have  sufficient  easiness  of  action  not  to  fatigue  the  rider,  and  speed 

notes  a  disposition  to  make  flesh,  and  thus  to  economize  food  ;  and,  for  the 
same  reason,  in  other  horses,  a  rather  circular  abdomen  is  approved  of — i» 
fkct,  one  neither  too  wide  nor  too  flat  is  the  most  desirable. 


IDO  THE    LOINS WITHERS. 

for  every  ordinary  purpose.  Length  of  back  will  always  be  de 
sirable  when  there  is  more  than  usual  substance  generally,  and 
particularly  when  the  loins  are  wide,  and  the  muscles  of  the  loins 
large  and  swelling.  The  two  requisites,  strength  and  speed,  will 
then  probably  be  united. 

The  back  should  be  depressed  a  little  immediately  behind  the 
withers  ;  and  then  continue  in  an  almost  straight  line  to  the  loins. 
This  is  the  form  most  consistent  with  beauty  and  strength.  Some 
liorses  have  a  very  considerable  hollow  behind  the  withers.  They 
are  said  to  be  saddle-hacked.  Such  horses  are  evidently  easy 
goers,  but  in  the  same  proportion,  they  are  weak  and  liable  to 
sprain. 

A  few  horses  have  the  curve  outward.  They  are  said  to^be 
roach-backed,  from  the  supposed  resemblance  to  the  arched  back 
of"  a  roach.  This  is  a  very  serious  defect ; — altogether  incompati- 
ble with  beauty,  and  materially  diminishing  the  usefulness  of  the 
animal.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  prevent  the  saddle  from  being 
thrown  on  the  shoulders,  or  the  back  from  being  galled  ; — the 
elasticity  of  the  spine  is  destroyed  ; — the  rump  is  badly  set  on  ; — 
the  hinder  legs  are  too  much  under  the  animal  ; — he  is  contm- 
ually  overreaching,  and  his  head  is  carried  awkwardly  low. 


THE  LOINS. 

The  loins  are  attentively  examined  by  every  good  horseman 
They  can  scarcely  be  too  broad  and  muscular.  The  strength  of 
the  back,  and  especially  the  strength  of  the  hinder  extremities, 
will  depend  materially  on  this.  The  union  of  the  back  and  loins 
should  be  carefully  observed,  for  there  is  sometimes  a  depression 
between  them.  A  kind  of  line  is  drawn  across,  which  shows  im- 
perfection in  the  construction  of  the  spine,  and  is  regarded  as  an 
indication  of  weakness. 


THE  WITHERS. 

The  spinous  processes  of  the  vertebrae,  above  the  upper  part 
of  the  shoulder,  form  the  elevated  ridge  called  the  withers.  (See 
Figs.  1  and  26.) 

High  withers  have  been  always,  in  the  miind  of  the  judge  of 
the  horse,  associated  with  good  action,  and  generally  with  speed. 
The  reason  is  plain  enough  : — they  afford  larger  surface  for  the 
attachment  of  the  muscles  of  the  back  ;  and  in  proportion  to  the 
elevation  of"  the  withers,  these  muscles  act  with  greater  advan- 
tage. And  as  the  rising  of  the  fore-parts  depends  not  only  upon 
the  muscles  of  the  legs  and  shoulders,  but  on  certain  ones  connect- 


FISTULOUS    WITliERS WARBLES,    SITFASTS,    ETC.  ]7)[ 

mg  the  loins  and  the  spinous  processes,  the  longer  the  arm  of  the 
lever  to  whicli  the  power  is  applied,  the  easier  and  to  the  greate. 
height  will  the  weight  be  carried  up.  Good  and  high  action, 
and  speed,  will  not,  therefore,  be  often  found  without  this  con- 
formation. 

FISTULOUS  WITHERS. 

When  the  saddle  has  been  suffered  to  press  long  upon  the 
withers,  a  tumor  will  be  formed,  hot  and  exceedingly  tender. 
It  may  sometimes  be  dispersed  by  the  cooling  applications  recom.- 
mended  in  the  treatment  of  poll-evil ;  but  if,  in  despite  of  these, 
the  swelling  should  remain  stationary,  and  especially  if  it  should 
become  larger  and  more  tender,  warm  fomentations  and  poultices, 
and  stimulatmg  embrocations,  should  be  diligently  applied,  in  or- 
der to  hasten  the  formation  of  pus.  As  soon  as  that  can  be  fairly 
detected,  a  seton  should  be  passed  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of 
the  tumor,  so  that  the  whole  of  the  matter  may  be  evacuated, 
and  continue  to  be  discharged  as  it  is  afterwards  formed ;  or  the 
knife  may  be  freely  used,  in  order  to  get  at  the  bottom  of  every 
sinus.  The  knife  has  succeeded  many  a  time  when  the  st  ton  has 
failed.  The  after  treatment  must  be  precisely  that  wliich  was 
recommended  for  a  similar  disease  in  the  poll. 

In  neglected  fistulous  withers  the  ulcer  may  be  larger  and 
deeper,  and  more  destructive  than  in  poll-evil.  It  may  burrow 
beneath  the  shoulder  blade,  and  the  pus  may  appear  at  the  point 
of  the  shoulder  or  the  elbow ;  or  the  bones  of  the  withers  may 
become  carious. 

WARBLES,  SITFASTS,  AND  SADDLE  GALLS. 

On  other  parts  of  the  back,  tumors  and  very  troublesome  ul- 
cers may  be  produced  by  the  same  cause.  Those  resulting  from 
the  pressure  of  the  saddle  are  called  ivarbles,  and,  when  they  ul- 
cerate, they  frequently  become  sitfasts.  Warbles  are  smaU 
circular  bruises,  or  extravasations  of  blood,  where  there  has 
been  an  undue  pressure  of  the  saddle  or  harness.  If  a  horse  is 
subject  to  these  tumors,  the  saddle  should  remain  on  him  two  or 
three  hours  after  he  has  returned  to  the  stable.  It  is  only  for  a 
certain  time,  however,  that  this  will  perfectly  succeed,  for  by  the 
frequent  application  of  the  pressure,  the  skin  and  the  cellular 
substance  are  bruised  or  otherwise  injured,  and  a  permanent  sore 
or  tumor,  of  a  very  annoying  description,  takes  place.  The  cen- 
tre of  the  sore  gradually  loses  its  vitality.  A  separation  takes 
place  from  the  surrounding  integument,  and  there  is  a  circular 
piece  of  dried  and  hard  skin  remaining  in  the  centre.     No  effort 


]  52  CHEST-FOUNDER. 

must  be  made  to  tear  or  dissect  it  ofi^,  but  stimulating  poultices 
or  fomentations,  or,  if  these  fail,  a  mild  blister  will  cause  a  speedy 
separation ;  and  the  wound  will  then  readily  heal  by  the  use  of 
turpentine  dressings,  more  or  less  stimulating,  according  to  cir- 
cumstances. 

Saddle  galls  are  tumors,  and  sometimes  galls  or  sores,  arising 
also  from  the  pressure  and  chafing  of  the  saddle.  They  differ 
little  from  the  warble,  except  that  there  is  very  seldom  the  sep- 
aration of  the  dead  part  in  the  centre,  and  the  sore  is  larger  and 
varying  in  its  form.  The  application  of  cold  water,  or  salt  and 
water,  will  generally  remove  excoriations  of  this  kind. 

CHEST-FOUNDER. 

The  muscles  of  the  breast  are  occasionally  the  seat  of  an  ob- 
scure disease,  called  by  the  old  farriers  anticor  and  chest-founder. 
The  horse  has  considerable  stiffness  in  moving,  evidently  not  ref- 
erable to  the  feet.  There  is  tenderness  about  the  muscles  of  the 
breast,  and,  occasionally,  swelling.  I  believe  it  to  be  nothing 
more  than  rheumatism,  produced  by  improper  exposure.  Some- 
times a  considerable  degree  of  fever  accompanies  this  ;  but  bleed- 
ing, physic,  a  rowel  in  the  chest,  warm  embrocations  over  the 
parts  affected,  warm  stabling,  and  warm  clothing,  with  occasional 
doses  of  antimonial  powder,  will  soon  subdue  the  complaint.* 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — The  absorption  or  diminution  of  the  muscles  of 
the  chest,  alluded  to  in  the  text,  and  which  used  to  be  denominated  chest 
founder,  is  neither  more  nor  less  than  disease  in  the  feet  (the  navicular  dis- 
ease, in  fact),  and  which,  existing  in  both  feet,  prevents  the  fore-legs  being 
exercised  to  the  same  extent  as  before ;  and,  consequently,  the  muscles,  from 
being  partially  thrown  out  of  use,  become,  to  a  certain  extent,  absorbed. 

By  the  term  anticor,  we  rather  understand  an  abscess  in  the  breast,  or 
brisket,  to  which  some  horses  are  liable.  It  is  a  rare  disease,  and  more  fre 
quently  attacks  heavy-chested  horses.  Foreign  horses  are  more  subject  t 
\his  disease  than  English  ones. 


CHAPTER   VIL 

THE  CONTENTS  OF  THE  CHEST. 

THE  THYMUS    GLAND. 

At  the  entrance  of  the  trachea  into  the  thorax,  and  situated 
in  the  doubhng  of  the  anterior  mediastinum,  is  an  irregular 
glandular  body,  called  the  thymus  gland,  or  "  sweet-breac."  It 
conveys  a  peculiar  albuminous  fluid  to  the  vems,  but  its  use  in 
the  system  is  unlaiown. 

THE    DIAPHRAGM. 

The  interposed  curtain  extending  across  the  cavity  of  the  chest, 
between  the  thorax  and  abdomen,  is  called  the  diaphragm  (mid- 
riff). It  is  an  irregular  muscular  expansion,  proceeding  from  the 
inferior  surface  of  the  lumbar  vertebrae  posteriorly  and  superiorly, 
adhering  to  the  ribs  on  either  side,  and  extending  obliquely  for- 
ward and  downward  to  the  sternum  ;  or,  rather  it  is  a  flattened 
muscle  arising  from  all  these  points,  with  its  fibres  all  converging 
towards  the  centre,  and  terminating  there  in  an  expansion  of 
tendinous  substance.  It  is  lined  anteriorly  by  the  pleura  or  in- 
vesting membrane  of  the  thoracic  cavity,  and  posteriorly  by  the 
peritoneum  or  investing  membrane  of  the  abdominal  cavity. 

The  diaphragm  is  the  main  agent,  both  in  ordinary  and  extra- 
ordinary respiration  ;  it  assists  also  in  the  expulsion  of  the  urine, 
and  it  is  a  most  powerful  auxiliary  in  the  act  of  parturition. 

It  is  subject  to  injury  and  disease  of  a  serious  and  varied  char- 
acter. Whatever  may  be  the  original  seat  of  thoracic  or  abdom- 
inal ailment,  the  diaphragm  soon  becomes  irritable  and  inflamed. 
This  accounts  for  the  breathing  of  the  horse  being  so  much  af- 
fected under  every  inflammation  or  excitement  of  the  chest  or 
belly.  The  irritability  of  this  muscle  is  often  evinced  by  a  sin 
gular  spasmodic  action  of  a  portion,  or  the  whole  of  it. 

Opium  should  be  administered  in  small  doses,  together  with 
ammonia  or  nitric  ether,  and  as  soon  as  any  reaction  is  observed 
have  recourse  to  bleeding. 

g 


154      RUPTURE  OF  THE  DIAPHRAGM THE  PLEURA 


RUPTURE  OF  THE  DIAPHRAGM. 

This  may  sometimes  occur  from  any  extraordinary  exertion, 
particularly  when  tke  stomach  is  distended  with  food  or  gas. 

In  rupture  of  the  diaphragm,  the  horse  usually  sits  op  his 
haunches,  like  a  dog  ;  but  this  is  far  from  being  an  infallible 
symptom  of  the  disease.  It  accompanies  introsusception,  as  well 
as  rupture  of  the  diaphragm.  [Mr.  Youatt  gives  no  remedy,  and 
probably  the  case  admits  of  none.) 


THE    PLEURA. 

The  walls  of  the  chest  are  lined,  and  the  lungs  are  covered,  by 
a  smooth  glistening  membrane,  the  'pleura.  It  is  a  serous  mem- 
brane, so  called  from  the  nature  of  its  exhalation,  in  distinction 
from  the  mucous  secretion  yielded  by  the  membrane  of  the  air- 
passages.  The  serous  membrane  generally  invests  the  most  im- 
portant organs,  and*  always  those  that  are  essentially  connected 
with  life  ;  while  the  mucous  membrane  lines  the  interior  of  the 
greater  part  of  them.  The  pleura  is  the  investing  membrane  of 
the  lungs,  and  a  mucous  membrane  the  lining  one  of  the  bronchial 
tubes. 

Among  the  circumstances  principally  to  be  noticed,  with  regard 
to  the  pleura,  is  the  polish  of  its  external  surface.  The  glistening 
appearance  of  the  lungs,  and  of  the  inside  of  the  chest,  is  to  be 
attributed  to  the  membrane  by  which  they  are  covered,  and  by 
means  of  whic*h  the  motion  of  the  various  organs  is  freer  and  less 
dangerous.  Although  the  lungs,  and  the  bony  walls  which  con- 
tain them,  are  in  constant  approximation  with  each  other,  both 
in  expiration  and  inspiration,  yet  in  the  frequently  hurried  and 
violent  motion  of  the  animal,  and,  in  fact,  in  every  act  of  expi- 
ration and  inspiration,  of  dilatation  and  contraction,  much  and 
injurious  friction  would  ensue  if  the  surfaces  did  not  glide  freel} 
over  each  other  by  means  of  the  peculiar  polish  of  this  membrane. 

Every  serous  membrane  has  innumerable  exhalent  vessels  upon 
its  surface,  from  which  a  considerable  quantity  of  fluid  is  poured 
out.  In  life  and  during  health  it  exists  in  the  chest  only  as  a 
kind  of  dew,  just  sufficient  to  lubricate  the  surfaces.  The  pleura 
possesses  very  little  sensibility  in  health,  but  it  is  otherwise  when 
it  is  the  seat  of  disease.  In  pleurisy,  pneumonia,  &c.,  it  becomes 
susceptible  of  intense  pain. 

The  pleura  adheres  intimately  to  the  ribs  and  to  the  substance 
of  the  lungs.  While  the  diseases  of  mucous  membranes  spread 
to  other  parts,  those  of  serous  membranes  are  generally  isolated. 


THE    LUNGS HEART.  15l 


THE   LUNGS. 


The  lungs  form  two  distinct  bodies,  the  right  somewhat  larger 
than  the  left,  and  are  divided  from  each  other  by  the  duplicature 
of  the  pleura,  which  has  been  already  described — the  mediasti- 
num. Each  lung  has  the  same  structure,  and  properties,  and 
uses.  Each  of  them  is  subdivided,  the  right  lobe  consisting  of 
three  lobes,  and  the  left  of  two.  The  intention  of  these  divisions 
is  probably  to  adapt  the  substance  of  the  lungs  to  the  form  of  the 
cavity  in  which  they  are  placed,  and  to  enable  them  more  per- 
fectly to  occupy  and  fill  the  chest. 

If  one  of  these  lobes  is  cut  into,  it  is  found  to  consist  of  innu- 
merable irregularly  formed  compartments,  to  which  anatomists 
have  given  the  name  of  lobules,  or  little  lobes.  They  are  distinct 
from  each  other,  and  impervious.  On  close  examination,  they 
can  be  subdivided  almost  without  end.  There  is  no  communica- 
tion between  them,  or  if  perchance  such  communication  exists,  it 
constitutes  the  disease  known  by  the  name  of  broken  ivind. 

On  the  delicate  membr-ane  of  which  these  cells  are  composed, 
innumerable  minute  blood-vessels  ramify.  They  proceed  from  the 
heart,  through  the  medium  of  the  iralmonary  artery — they  fol- 
low all  the  subdivisions  of  the  bronchial  tubes — they  ramify  upon 
the  membrane  of  these  multitudinous  lobules,  and  at  length  return 
to  the  heart,  through  the  medium  of  the  pulmonary  veins,  the 
character  of  the  blood  which  they  contain  being  essentially 
changed.  The  mechanism  of  this,  and  the  effect  produced,  must 
be  briefly  considered. 

THE  HEART. 

The  heart  is  placed  between  a  doubling  of  *he  pleura — termed 
the  mediastinum  ;  by  means  of  which  it  is  supported  in  its  nat- 
ural situation,  and  all  dangerous  friction  between  these  important 
organs  is  avoided.  It  is  also  surrounded  by  a  membrane  or  bag 
of 'its  own,  called  the  idericardium,  whose  office  is  of  a  similar 
nature.  By  means  of  the  heart,  the  blood  is  circulated  through 
the  frame. 

It  is  composed  of  four  cavities — two  above,  called  auricles, 
from  their  supposed  resemblance  to  the  ear  of  a  dog  ;  and  two 
below,  termed  ventricles,  occupying  the  substance  of  the  heart. 
In  point  of  fact,  there  are  two  hearts — the  one  on  the  left  side 
impelling  the  blood  through  the  frame,  the  other  on  the  right  side 
conveying  it  through  the  pulmonary  system  ;  but,  unitv'd  m  the 
manner  in  which  they  are,  their  junction  contributes  to  their  nao 


156  DISEASES    OF    HEART. 

tual  strength   and  both  circulations  are  carried  on  at  the  same 
time. 

The  first  is  the  arterial  circulation.  No  function  can  be  dis- 
charged— life  cannot  exist,  without  the  presence  of  arterial  blood 
The  left  ventricle  that  contains  it  contracts,  and  by  the  power  of 
that  contraction,  aided  by  other  means,  which  the  limits  of  our 
work  will  not  permit  us  to  describe,  the  blood  is  driven  through 
the  whole  arterial  circulation — the  capillary  vessels  and  the  veins 
— and  returns  again  to  the  heart,  but  to  the  right  ventricle.  The 
other  division  of  this  viscus  is  likewise  employed  in  circulating 
the  blood  thus  conveyed  to  it,  but  is  not  the  same  fluid  which 
was  contained  in  the  left  ventricle  It  has  gradually  lost  its  vita] 
power.  As  it  has  passed  along,  it  has  changed  from  red  to  black, 
and  from  a  vital  to  a  poisonous  fluid.  Ere  it  can  again  convey 
the  principle  of  nutrition,  or  give  to  each  organ  that  impulse  or 
stimulus  which  enables  it  to  discharge  its  function,  it  must  be 
materially  changed. 

When  the  right  ventricle  contracts,  and  the  blood  is  driven 
into  the  lungs,  it  passes  over  the  gossamer  membrane  of  which 
the  lobules  of  the  lungs  have  been  described  as  consisting  ;  the 
lobules  being  filled  with  the  air  which  has  descended  through  the 
bronchial  tubes  in  the  act  of  inspiration.  This  delicate  mem- 
brane permits  some  of  the  principles  of  the  air  to  permeate  it. 
The  oxygen  of  the  atmosphere  attracts  and  combines  with  a  por- 
tion of  the  superabundant  carbon  of  this  blood,  and  the  expired 
air  is  poisoned  with  carbonic  acid  gas.  Some  of  the  constituents 
of  the  blood  attract  a  portion  of  the  oxygen  of  the  air,  and  obtain 
their  distinguishing  character  and  properties  as  arterial  blood,  and 
being  thus  revivified,  it  passes  on  over  the  membrane  of  the  lobes, 
unites  into  small  and  then  larger  vessels,  and  at  length  pours  its 
full  stream  of  arterial  blood  into  the  left  auricle,  thence  to  ascend 
into  the  ventricle,  and  to  be  diflused  over  the  frame. 


DISEASES   OF  THE  HEART. 

The  best  place  to  examine  the  beating  of  the  heart  is  imme- 
diately behind  the  elbow,  on  the  left  side.  The  hand  applied 
flat  against  the  ribs  will  give  the  number  of  pulsations.  The 
ear  thus  applied  will  enable  the  practitioner  better  to  ascertain 
the  character  of  the  pulsation.  The  stethoscope  affords  an  un- 
certain guide,  for  it  cannot  be  flatly  and  evenly  applied. 

Pericarditis. — The  bag,  or  outer  investing  membrane  of  the 
heart  ("  heart  case"),  is  liable  to  inflammation,  in  which  the 
efiiised  fluid  becomes  organized,  and  deposited  in  layers,  in- 
creasing the  thickness  of  the  pericardium,  and  the  difficulty  of 
♦lift  exnansion  and  contraction  of  the  heart.    The  only  symptomt 


DISEASES    OF    HEART.  157 

on  which  dependence  can  be  placed,  are  a  quickened  and  irregu- 
lar respiration  ;  a  bounding  action  of  the  heart  in  an  early  stage 
of  the  disease  ;  but  that,  as  the  fluid  increases  and  becomes  con- 
crete, assuming  a  feeble  and  fluttering  character. 

Hydrops  Pericardu  is  the  term  used  to  designate  the  presence 
of  the  fluid  secreted  in  consequence  of  this  inflammation,  and 
varying  from  a  pint  to  a  gallon  or  more.  In  addition  to  the 
symptoms  already  described,  there  is  an  expression  of  alarm  and 
anxiety  in  the  countenance  of  the  animal  which  no  other  malady 
produces.  The  horse  generally  sinks  from  other  disease,  or  from 
constitutional  irritation,  before  the  cavity  of  the  pericardium  is 
filled  ;  or  if  he  lingers  on,  most  dreadful  palpitations  and  throb- 
Dings  accompany  the  advanced  stage  of  the  disease.  It  is  sel- 
dom or  never  that  this  disease  exists  alone,  but  is  combined  with 
dropsy  of  the  chest  or  abdomen. 

Inflammation  of  the  Lining  of  the  Heart. — Mr.  Simpson 
relates,  in  the  Veterinarian  for  1834,  a  case  in  which  there  were 
symptoms  of  severe  abdominal  pain  ;  the  respiration  was  much 
disturbed,  and  the  action  of  the  heart  took  on  an  extraordinary 
character.  Three  or  four  beats  succeeded  to  each  other,  so  vio- 
lently as  to  shake  the  whole  frame,  and  to  be  visible  at  the  dis- 
tance of  several  yards,  with  intervals  of  quietude  for  five  minutes 
or  more.     At  length  this  violent  beating  became  constant. 

On  dissection  both  lungs  were  found  to  be  inflamed,  the  serum 
in  the  pericardium  increased  in  quantity,  and  the  internal  mem- 
brane of  the  heart  violently  inflamed,  with  spots  of  ecchymosis 
(livid  spots  occasioned  by  extravasated  blood). 

This  would  seem  to  be  a  case  of  inflammation  of  the  heart  ; 
but  in  a  considerable  proportion  of  the  cases  of  rabies,  these 
spots  of  ecchymosis,  and  this  general  inflammation  of  the  heart, 
are  seen. 

Hypee-TRophy  is  an  augmentation  or  thickening  of  the  sub- 
stance of  the  heart ;  and  although  not  dreamed  of  a  few  years 
ago,  seems  now  to  be  a  disease  of  no  rare  occurrence  among 
horses.  The  heart  has  been  known  to  acquire  double  its  natural 
volume,  or  the  auricle  and  venticle  on  one  side  have  been  thus 
enlarged. 

Dilatation  is  increased  capacity  of  the  cavities  of  the  heart, 
and  the  parietes  being  generally  thinned.  It  is  probable  that 
this  is  a  more  frequent  disease  than  is  generally  supposed  ;  and 
from  the  circulating  power  being  lessened,  or  almost  suspended, 
on  account  of  the  inability  of  the  cavities  to  propel  their  con- 
tents, it  is  accompanied  by  much  and  rapid  emaciation. 

Ossification  of  the  heart,  air  in  the  heart,  and  aneu- 
rism of  the  aorta,  sometimes  occur. 


THE   ARTERIES ^PULSE. 


THE   ARTERIES. 


The  vessels  which  carry  the  blood  from  the  heart  are  called 
arteries.  The  yielding  of  the  artery  to  the  gush  of  blood,  forced 
into  it  by  the  contraction  of  the  heart,  constitutes 

THE    PULSE. 

The  pulse  is  a  very  useful  assistant  to  the  practitioner  of 
human  medicine,  and  much  more  so  to  the  veterinary  surgeon, 
whose  patients  cannot  describe  either  the  seat  or  degree  of  ail- 
ment or  pain.  The  number  of  pulsations  m  any  artery  will 
give  the  number  of  the  beatings  of  the  heart,  and  so  express  the 
irritation  of  that  organ,  and  of  the  frame  generally.  In  a  state 
of  health,  the  heart  beats  in  a  farmer's  horse  about  thirty-six 
times  a  minute.  In  the  smaller,  and  in  the  thorough-bred  horse, 
the  pulsations  aire  forty  or  forty-two.  This  is  said  to  be  the 
standard  pulse — the  pulse  of  health.  It  varies  singularly  little 
in  horses  of  the  same  size  and  breed,  and  where  it  beats  natu- 
rally there  can  be  little  materially  wrong.  The  most  convenient 
place  to  feel  the  pulse,  is  at  the  lower  jaw  (Fig.  1)  a  little 
behind  the  spot  where  the  submaxillary  artery  and  vein,  and 
^he  parotid  duct,  come  fromi  under  the  jaw.  There  the  number 
of  pulsations  will  be  easily  counted,  and  the  character  of  the 
pulse,  a  matter  of  fully  equal  importance,  will  be  clearly  ascer- 
tained. Many  horsemen  put  the  hand  to  the  side.  They  can 
certainly  count  the  pulse  there,  but  they  can  do  nothing  more. 
We  must  be  able  to  press  the  artery  against  some  hard  body,  as 
the  jaw-bone,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  manner  in  which  thtj 
blood  flows  through  it,  and  the  quantity  that  flows. 

When  the  pulse  reaches  fifty  or  fifty-five,  some  degree  of  fever 
may  be  apprehended,  and  proper  precaution  should  be  taken 
Seventy  or  seventy-five  will  indicate  a  dangerous  state,  and  put 
the  owiier  and  the  surgeon  not  a  little  on  the  alert.  Few  horses 
long  survive  a  pulse  of  one  hundred,  for,  by  this  excessive  action 
the  energies  of  nature  are  speedily  worn  out. 

Some  things,  however,  should  be  taken  into  account  in  form- 
ing our  conclusion  from  the  frequency  of  the  pulse.  Exercise,  a 
warm  stable,  and  fear,  will  wonderfully  increase  the  number  of 
pulsations. 

When  a  careless,  brutal  fellow  goes  up  to  a  horse,  and  speak? 
hastily  to  him,  and  handles  him  roughly,  he  adds  ten  beats  per 
minute  to  the  pulse,  and  will  often  be  misled  in  the  opinion  he 
may  form  of  the  state  of  the  animal.  A  judicious  person  wiD 
approach  the  patient  gently,  and  pat  and  soothe  him,  and  even 


THE    PULSE.  1()9 

then  the  circulation,  probably,  will  be  a  little  disturbed.  He  should 
take  the  additional  precaution  of  noting  the  number  and  quality 
of  the  pulse,  a  second  time,  before  he  leaves  the  animal. 

If  a  quick  pulse  indicate  irritation  and  fever,  a  slow  pulse 
will  likewise  characterize  diseases  of  an  opposite  description. 
It  accompanies  the  sleepy  stage  of  staggers,  and  every  malady 
connected  with  deficiency  of  nervous  energy. 

The  heart  may  not  only  be  excited  to  more  frequent,  bu' 
also  to  more  violent  action.  It  may  contract  more  powerfully 
upon  the  blood,  which  will  be  driven  with  greater  force  through 
the  arteries,  and  the  expansion  of  the  vessels  will  be  greatei 
and  more  sudden.  Then  we  have  the  hai'd  pulse — the  sure 
indicator  of  considerable  fever,  and  calling  for  the  immediate 
and  free  use  of  the  lancet. 

Sometimes  the  pulse  may  be  hard  and  jerking,  and  yet 
small.  The  stream  though  forcible  is  not  great.  The  heart 
is  so  irritable  that  it  contracts  before  the  ventricle  is  properly 
filled.  The  practitioner  knows  that  this  indicates  a  dangerous 
state  of  disease.  It  is  an  almost  invariable  accompaniment  of 
inflammation  of  the  bowels. 

A  iveak  pulse,  when  the  arterial  stream  flows  slowly,  is 
caused  by  the  feeble  action  of  the  heart.  It  is  the  reverse 
of  fever,  and  expressive  of  debility. 

The  oppressed  pulse  is  when  the  arteries  seem  to  be  fully 
distended  with  blood.  There  is  obstruction  somewhere,  and  the 
action  of  the  heart  can  hardly  force  the  stream  along,  or  com- 
municate pulsation  to  the  current.  It  is  the  case  in  sudden 
inflammation  of  the  lungs.  They  are  overloaded  and  gorged 
with  blood,  which  cannot  find  its  way  through  their  minute 
vessels.  This  accounts  for  the  well-known  fact  of  a  copious 
bleeding  increasing  a  pulse  previously  oppressed.  A  portion 
being  removed  from  the  distended  and  choked  vessels,  the  re- 
mainder is  able  to  flow  on. 

The  state  of  the  pulse  should  be  carefully  regarded  during 
bleeding.  The  most  experienced  practitioner  cannot  tell  what 
quantity  of  blood  must  be  abstracted  in  order  to  produce  the 
desired  eflect.  The  change  of  the  pulse  can  alone  indicate  when 
the  object  is  accomplished  ;  therefore,  the  operator  should  have 
his  finger  on  the  artery  during  the  act  of  bleeding,  and,  compara- 
tively regardless  of  the  quantity,  continue  to  take  blood,  until, 
in  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  the  oppressed  pulse  becomes  fuller 
and  more  distinct,  or  the  strong  pulse  of  considerable  fever  is 
evidently  softer,  or  the  animal  exliibits  symptoms  of  faintness 
[See  Bleeding.]* 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner.—Ihe  frequency  of  the  pulse  is  certainly  over 
rated  in  tlie  text.     There  is  not  that  difference  in  the  pulsation  of  the  cart- 


1 60  INFLAMMATION. 


INFLAMMATION. 


Local  inflammation  is  characterized  by  redness,  swelling,  heat, 
and  pain. 

If  inflammation  consists  of  an  increased  flow  of  blood  to  and 
through  the  part,  the  ready  way  to  abate  it  is  to  lessen  the 
quantity  of  blood.  All  other  means  are  comparatively  unim- 
portant, contrasted  with  bleedi7ig.  Blood  is  generally  abstracted 
from  the  jugular  vein,  and  so  the  general  quantity  may  be 
lessened ;  but  if  it  can  be  taken  from  the  neighborhood  of  the 
diseased  part,  it  will  be  productive  of  tenfold  benefit.  One  quart 
of  blood  abstracted  from  the  foot  in  acute  founder,  by  unloading 
the  vessels  of  the  inflamed  part,  and  enabUng  them  to  contract, 
and,  in  that  contraction,  to  acquire  the  tone  and  power  to  resist 
future  distention,  will  do  more  good  than  five  quarts  taken  from 
the  general  circulation.  An  ounce  of  blood  obtained  by  scarify- 
ing the  swelled  vessels  of  the  inflamed  eye,  will  give  as  much 
relief  to  that  organ  as  a  copious  bleeding  from  the  jugular.  It  is 
a  principle  in  the  animal  frame  which  should  never  be  lost  sight 
of  by  the  veterinary  surgeon,  or  the  horseman,  that  if  by  bleeding 
the  process  of  inflammation  can  once  be  checked, — if  it  can  be 
suspended  but  for  a  little  while, — although  it  may  return,  it  is 
never  with  the  same  degree  of  violence,  and  in  many  cases  it  is 
got  rid  of  entirely.  Hence  the  necessity  of  bleeding  early,  and 
bleeding  largely,  in  inflammation  of  the  lungs  or  of  the  bowels, 
or  of  the  brain,  or  of  any  important  organ.  Many  horses  are  lost 
for  want  or  insufficiency  of  bleeding,  but  we  never  knew  one 
materially  injured  by  che  most  copious  extraction  of  blood  in  tho 
early  stage  of  acute  inflammation.  The  horse  will  bear,  and 
with  advantage,  the  loss  of  an  almost  incredible  quantity  of 
blood, — four  quarts  taken  from  him,  will  be  comparatively  little 
more  than  one  pound  taken  from  the  human  being.  We  can 
scarcely  conceive  of  a  considerable  inflammation  of  any  part  of 
the  horse,  whether  proceeding  from  sprains,  contusions,  or  any 
other  cause  in  which  bleeding,  local  (if  possible),  or  general,  or 
both,  will  not  be  of  essential  service. 

Next  in  importance  to  bleeding,  is  purging.     Something  may 

horse  and  the  thorough  bred,  as  there  stated,  and  36  or  37  a  minute  may 
be  considered  the  standard  pulse  in  the  latter  when  in  health  and  free 
from  excitement.  It  is  most  important  to  distinguish  between  the  pulse  of 
fever  and  that  of  inflammation.  We  may  have  a  pulse  of  tlie  greatest 
rapidity,  as  in  influenza,  and  yet  no  one  part  of  the  body  much  inflamed. 
We  have  known  the  pulse  of  the  horse  more  than  trebled,  and  the  animal 
still  recover ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  in  cases  of  inflammation,  a  pulse  of 
60  has  betokened  great  danger,  and,  in  some  cases,  has  been  succeeded  by 
death. 


INFLAMMATION.  161 

be  removed  from  the  bowels,  the  retention  of  which  would 
increase  the  general  irritation  and  fever.  The  quantity  of  blood 
will  be  materially  lessened,  for  the  serous  or  watery  fluid  which 
is  separated  from  it  by  a  brisk  purge,  the  action  of  which  in  the 
horse  continues  probably  more  than  twenty-four  hours,  is  enorm- 
ous. While  the  blood  is  thus  determined  to  the  bowels,  less 
even  of  that  which  remains  will  flow  through  the  inflamed 
part.  "While  the  purging  continues,  some  degree  of  languor  and 
sickness  is  felt ;  and  the  force  of  the  circulation  is  thereby  dimin- 
ished, and  the  general  excitement  lessened.  The  importance  of 
physic  in  every  case  of  considerable  external  inflammation,  is 
sufficiently  evident.  If  the  horse  is  laid  by  for  a  few  days  from 
injury  of  the  loot,  or  sprain,  or  poll-evil,  or  wound,  or  almost  any 
cause  of  inflammation,  a  physic-ball  should  be  given. 

In  cases  of  internal  inflammation,  much  judgment  is  required 
to  determine  when  a  purgative  may  be  beneficial  or  injurious. 
In  inflammation  of  the  lungs  or  bowels,  it  should  never  be  given. 

The  means  of  abating  external  inflammation  are  various,  and 
seemingly  contradictory.  The  heat  of  the  part  very  naturally 
and  properly  led  to  the  application  of  cold  embrocations  and  lo- 
tions. Heat  has  a  strong  tendency  to  equalize  itself,  or  to  leave 
that  substance  which  has  a  too  great  quantity  of  it,  or  little  ca- 
pacity to  retain  it,  for  another  which  has  less  of  it,  or  more 
capacity.  Hence  the  advantage  of  cold  applications,  by  which  a 
great  deal  of  the  unnatural  heat  is  speedily  abstracted  from  the 
inflamed  part.  The  foot  laboring  under  inflammation  is  put 
into  cold  water,  or  the  horse  is  made  to  stand  in  water  or  wet 
clay.  Various  cold  applications  are  also  used  to  sprains.  The 
part  is  wetted  with  diluted  vinegar,  or  goulard,  or  salt  and  water. 
When  benefit  is  derived  from  these  applications,  it  is  to  be  at- 
tributed to  their  coldness  alone.  Water,  especially  when  cooled 
below  the  natural  temperature,  is  as  good  an  application  as  any 
that  can  be  used.  Nitre  dissolved  in  water,  will  lower  the  tem- 
perature of  the  fluid  many  degrees  ;  but  the  lotion  must  be 
applied  immediately  after  the  salt  has  been  dissolved.  A  band- 
age may  be  afterwards  applied  to  strengthen  the  limb,  but  during 
the  continuance  of  active  inflammation,  it  would  only  confine 
the  heat  of  the  part,  or  prevent  it  from  benefiting  by  the  salu- 
tary influence  of  the  cold  produced  by  the  evaporation  of  the 
water. 

Sometimes,  however,  we  resort  to  warm  fomentations,  and  if 
benefit  is  derived  from  their  use,  it  is  to  be  traced  to  the  warmth 
of  the  fluid,  more  than  to  any  medicinal  property  in  it  Warm 
water  will  do  as  much  good  to  the  horse,  who  has  so  thick  a 
skin,  as  any  decoction  of  chamomile,  or  marsh-mallow,  or  poppy 
heads,  or  any  nostrum  that  the  farrier  may  reconunend.      Fo- 


162  INFLAMMATION. 

mentations  increase  the  warmth  of  the  skin,  and  open  the  pores 
of  it,  and  promote  perspiration,  and  thus  lessen  the  tension  and 
swelling  of  the  part,  assuage  pain,  and  relieve  inflammation. 
Fomentations,  to  be  beneficial,  should  be  long  and  frequently 
applied,  and  at  as  great  a  degree  of  heat  as  can  be  used  without 
giving  the  animal  pain.  Poultices  are  more  permanent,  or  longer- 
continued  fomentations.  The  part  is  exposed  to  the  influence  of 
warmth  and  moisture  for  many  hours  or  days  without  intermis- 
sion, and  perspiration  being  so  long  kept  up,  the  distended  vessels 
will  be  very  materially  relieved.  The  advantage  derived  from  a 
poultice  is  attributable  to  the  heat  and  moisture,  which,  by 
means  of  it,  can  be  long  applied  to  the  skin,  and  it  should  be 
composed  of  materials  which  will  best  retain  this  moisture  and 
heat.  The  bran  poultice  of  the  farrier  is,  consequently,  objec- 
tionable. It  is  never  perfectly  in  contact  with  the  surface  of  the 
skin,  and  it  becomes  nearly  dry  in  a  few  hours,  after  which  it  is 
injurious  rather  than  beneficial.  Linseed-meal  is  a  much  better 
material  for  a  poultice,  for,  if  properly  made,  it  will  remain 
moist  during  may  hours. 

It  is  occasionally  very  difficult  to  decide  when  a  cold  or  hot 
application  is  to  be  used,  and  no  general  rule  can  be  laid  down, 
except  that  in  cases  of  superficial  inflammation,  and  in  the  early 
stage,  cold  lotions  will  be  preferable  ;  but,  when  the  inflammation 
is  deeper  seated,  or  fully  established,  warm  fomentations  will  be 
most  serviceable. 

Stimulating  applications  are  frequently  used  in  local  inflam- 
mation. When  the  disease  is  deeply  seated,  a  stimulating  appli- 
cation to  the  skin  will  cause  some  irritation  and  inflammation 
there,  and  lessen  or  sometimes  remove  the  original  malady : 
hence  the  use  of  rowels  and  blisters  in  inflammation  of  the 
chest.  Inflammation  to  a  high  degree,  cannot  exist  in  parts  that 
are  near  each  other.  If  we  can  excite  it  in  one,  we  shall  abate 
it  in  the  other,  and  also,  by  the  discharge  which  we  estabhsh 
from  the  one,  we  shall  lessen  the  determination  of  blood  to  th( 
other. 

Stimulating  and  blistering  applications  should  never  be  applied 
to  a  part  already  inflamed.  A  fire  is  not  put  out  by  heaping 
more  fuel  upon  it.  Hence  the  mischief  which  the  farrier  often 
does  by  rubbing  his  abominable  oils  on  a  recent  sprain,  hot  and 
tender.  Many  a  horse  has  been  ruined  by  this  absurd  treatment. 
When  the  heat  and  tenderness  have  disappeared  by  the  use  of 
cold  lotions  or  fomentations,  and  the  leg  or  sprained  part  remains 
enlarged,  or  bony  matter  threatens  to  be  deposited,  it  might  be 
right  to  excite  inflammation  of  the  skin  by  a  blister,  in  order  to 
rouse  the  deeper-seated  absorbents  to  action,  and  enable  them  to 
take  up  tliis  deposit ;  but,  except  to  hasten  the  natural  process 


FEVER.  •  163        /^ 

and  effects  of  inflammation,  a  blister,  or  stimulating  application, 
should  never  be  applied  to  a  part  already  inflamed. 

FEVER. 

Fever  is  general  increased  arterial  action,  either  without  any 
local  aflection,  or  in  consequence  of  the  sympathy  of  the  system 
with  inflammation  in  some  particular  part. 

The  first  is  'pure fever.  Owing  to  bad  stable  management  and 
general  treatment,  and  the  susceptibility  of  various  parts  of  the 
horse  to  take  on  inflammation,  this  usually  degenerates  into  in- 
flammation. But  pure  fever  is  sometimes  seen,  and  runs  its 
course  regularly. 

It  frequently  begins  with  a  cold  or  shivering  fit,  although  this 
is»  not  essential  to  fever.  The  horse  is  dull,  unwilling  to  move, 
has  a  staring  coat,  and  cold  legs  and  feet.  This  is  succeeded  by 
warmth  of  the  body  ;  unequal  distribution  of  warmth  to  the  legs ; 
one  hot,  and  the  other  three  cold,  or  one  or  more  unnaturally 
warm,  and  the  others  unusually  cold,  but  not  the  deathlike  cold- 
ness of  inflammation  of  the  lungs  ;  the  pulse  quick,  soft,  and 
often  indistinct ;  the  breathing  somewhat  laborious ;  but  no 
cough  or  pawing,  or  looking  at  the  flanks.  The  animal  will 
scarcely  eat,  and  is  very  costive.  While  the  state  of  pure  fever 
lasts,  the  shivering  fit  returns  at  nearly  the  same  hour  eveiy 
day,  and  is  succeeded  by  the  warm  one,  and  that  often  by  a 
slight  degree  of  perspiration  ;  and  these  alternate  during  several 
days  until  local  inflammation  appears,  or  the  fever  gradually 
subsides.  No  horse  ever  died  of  pure  fever.  If  he  is  not  destroyed 
by  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  or  feet,  or  bowels  succeeding  to 
the  fever,  he  gradually  recovers. 

Fever  is  general  increased  action  of  the  heart  and  arteries,  and 
therefore  evidently  appears  the  necessity  for  bleeding,  regulating 
the  quantity  of  blood  by  the  degree  of  fever,  and  usually  keeping 
the  finger  on  the  artery  until  some  evident  and  considerable 
impression  is  made  upon  the  system  The  bowels  should  be 
gently  opened  ;  but  the  danger  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  and 
the  uniformly  injurious  consequence  of  purgation  in  that  disease, 
will  prevent  the  administration  of  an  active  purgative.  A  sn^all 
quantity  of  aloes  may  be  given  morning  and  night,  with  the 
proper  fever  medicine,  until  the  bowels  are  slightly  relaxed,  after 
which  nothing  more  of  an  aperient  quality  should  be  administered. 
Digitalis,  emetic  tarta'r,  and  nitre  should  be  given  morning  and 
night,  in  proportions  regulated  by  the  circumstances  of  the  case. 
The  horse  should  be  warmly  clothed,  but  be  placed  in  a  cool  and 
well- ventilated  stable. 

Symptomatic  fever  is  increased  arterial  action,  proceeding  from 


164  THE  VEINS BOG  AND  BLOOD  SPAVIN. 

some  local  cause.  No  organ  of  consequence  can  be  much  disor- 
dered or  inflamed  without  the  neighboring-  parts  being  disturbed, 
and  the  whole  system  gradually  participating  in  the  disturbance. 
Inflammation  of  the  feet  or  of  the  lungs  never  existed  long  or  to 
any  material  extent,  without  being  accompanied  by  some  degree 
of  fever. 

The  treatment  of  symptomatic  fever  should  resemble  that  of 
simple  fever,  except  that  particular  attention  must  be  paid  to 
the  state  of  the  part  originally  diseased.  If  the  inflammation 
which  existed  there  can  be  subdued,  the  general  disturbance  will 
usually  cease.*  * 

THE  YEINS. 

These  vessels  carry  back  to  the  heart  the  blood  which  had  beer 
conveyed  to  the  difierent  parts  by  the  arteries. 


BOG  AND  BLOOD  SPAVIN. 

Attached  to  the  extremities  of  most  of  the  tendons,  and  be 
tween  the  tendons  and  other  parts,  are  little  bags  containing  a 
mucous  substance  to  enable  the  tendons  to  slide  over  each  other 
without  friction,  and  to  move  easily  on  the  neighboring  parts. 
From  violent  exercise  these  vessels  are  liable  to  enlarge.  Wind- 
galls  and  thoroughpins  are  instances  of  this.      There  is  one  of 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — Pure  fever  does  not  of  necessity  require  blood- 
letting, and,  indeed,  will  often  be  removed  better  without  the  aid  of  deple 
tion.  The  fact  is  well  shown  in  cases  of  influenza,  wdiere  great  quickness 
of  the  pulse,  with  a  hot  mouth,  and  other  tokens  of  fever,  are  present,  and 
which  symptoms  may  be  often  removed  without  the  aid  of  bleeding.  We 
decidedly  object  to  bleeding  in  those  cases  of  fever  attended  with  a  shiver 
ing  fit;  and,  indeed,  we  have  found  that  unless  the  pulse  is  full  and  strong, 
it  is  generally  better  to  avoid  bleeding.  Fever  is  fiir  more  dependent  on 
some  irritation  of  the  nervous  system  than  is  implied  in  the  text,  and  bleed- 
ing is  often  calculated  to  increase  this  irritation.  The  administration  of  a 
diffusible  stimulant  that  will  act  on  the  skin,  such  as  the  spirit  of  nitrous 
ether,  is  a  far  better  mode  of  treatment,  and  will  often  cut  short  a  case  of 
fever,  which  the  abstraction  of  blood  would  only  prolong.  In  cases  of  fever 
the  mucous  membrane  is  very  frequently  in  an  irritable  state,  so  that  a 
purgative  will  greatly  increase  such  irritation,  and  should  therefore  be 
avoided.  If  the  bowels  are  costive,  oily  laxatives  should  be  administered, 
and  aloes  carefully  avoided,  unless  given  in  a  liquid  form,  and  as  a  single 
<lose.  It  is  a  very  dangerous  practice  to  give  small  doses  of  aloes  until  the 
bowels  are  relaxed,  for,  from  the  long  period  required  to  relax  the  bowels 
in  the  horse,  before  this  effect  is  produced  a  quantity  will  be  taken  suffi- 
ciei.tly  to  endanger  life,  and,  indeed,  death  has  in  many  instances  occurred 
from  this  practice.  It  is  better  therefore  either  to  abstain  altogether  from 
giving  aloes  in  such  cases,  or  otherwise  confine  it  to  one  moderate  dose  of 
two  drachms. 


BOG  AND  BLOOD  SPAVIN  165 

them  on  the  inside  of  the  hock  at  its  bending.  This  son^ctimes 
becomes  considerably  increased  in  size,  and  the  enlargement  is 
called  a  bog-spavin.  A  vein  passes  over  the  bag,  which  is  press- 
ed between  the  enlargement  and  the  skin,  and  the  passage  of  the 
blood  through  it  is  impeded ;  the  vein  is  consequently  distended 
by  the  accumulated  blood,  and  the  distention  reaches  from  this 
bag  as  low  down  as  the  next  valve.  This  is  called  blood-spavin. 
Blood-spavin  then  is  the  consequence  of  bog-spavin.  It  very 
rarely  occurs,  and  is,  in  the  majority  of  instances,  confounded  with 
bog-spavin. 

Blood-spavin  does  not  always  cause  lameness,  except  the  horse 
is  very  hard  worked  ;  but  this,  as  well  as  bog-spavin,  constitutes 
unsoundness,  and  materially  lessens  the  value  of  the  horse.  The 
proper  treatment  is  to  endeavor  to  promote  the  absorption  of  the 
contents  of  the  bag.  This  may  be  attempted  by  pressure  long 
applied.  A  bandage  may  be  contrived  to  take  in  the  whole  of 
the  hock,  except  its  point ;  and  a  compress  made  of  folded  linen 
being  placed  on  the  bog-spavin,  may  confine  the  principal  pres- 
sure to  that  part.  It  is,  however,  very  difficult  to  adapt  a 
bandage  to  a  joint  which  admits  of  such  extensive  motion ; 
therefore  most  practitioners  apply  two  or  three  successive  blisters 
over  the  enlargement,  when  it  usually  disappears.  Unfortunately, 
however,  it  returns  if  any  extraordinary  exertion  is  required  from 
the  horse.* 

*  Kote  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — Much  error  appears  to  have  prevailed  with 
regard  to  bog-spavins.  We  speak  with  contidence,  and  after  numerous  dis- 
sections, when  we  say,  that  this  disease  does  not  occur  from  the  distention 
of  any  mucous  bags,  and,  therefore,  there  is  no  possibihty  of  cutting  them 
out.  A  bog-spavin  is  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  distention  of  the  capsular 
hgameut  of  the  jouit  itself;  so  that,  if  we  cut  into  it,  we  open  the  joint,  and 
endanger  the  life  of  the  animal.  There  are  different  degrees  of  severity  in 
which  this  disease  may  exist ;  it  may  be  merely  an  increased  secretion  of 
synovia,  so  as  to  distend  the  ligament,  and  in  such  case  it  is  readily  curable ; 
or,  it  may  be,  as  it  more  frequently  is,  a  rupture  of  the  connections  of  the 
ligament  with  the  bones,  so  as  not  only  to  distend,  but  actually  to  enlarge, 
the  cavity  of  the  joint.  In  the  latter  instance,  though  the  disease  may  be 
temporarily  removed,  it  generally  recurs,  with  work.  When  lameness  attends 
bog-spavin,  there  is  usually  no  little  degree  of  inflammation  on  the  synovial 
membrane  of  the  joint ;  and,  in  cases  of  long  standing,  the  synovial  fluid 
becomes  solid,  and  causes  permanent  stiffness,  llioroughpins,  are  the  same 
morbid  affection  as  the  bog-spavin,  but  affecting  the  upper  and  back  part 
of  the  joint,  and  on  each  side. 

With  regard  to  the  blood-spavin,  the  vein,  as  it  passes  up  the  leg,  may 
certainly  be  somewhat  obstructed  by  a  bog-spavin:  and,  consequently,  a 
little  enlarged;  but  so  slightly,  that  we  believe  that  the  bog  and  blood 
spavin  of  the  old  farriers  were  one  and  the  same  thing,  the  vein,  from  its 
proximity  being  supposed  to  feed  the  enlargement. 

Tlie  best  treatment  for  these  enlargements  is,  next  to  the  actual  cautery, 
the  repeated  application  of  the  iodide  of  mercury,  which  both  operates  as  a 
hlister,  as  well  as  specifically,  on  the  absorbents. 


:66  .  BLEEDING. 


BLEEDING. 


This  operation  is  performed  with  a  fieara  or  a  lancet.  The 
first  is  the  common  instrument,  and  the  safest,  except  in  skilfUl 
hands.  The  lancet,  however,  has  a  more  surgical  appearance, 
and  will  be  adopted  by  the  veterinary  practitioner.  A  bloodstick 
— a  piece  of  hard  wood  loaded  at  one  end  with  lead — is  used  to 
strike  the  fleam  into  the  vein.  This  is  sometimes  done  with  too 
great  violence,  and  the  opposite  side  of  the  coat  of  the  vein  is 
wounded.  Bad  cases  of  inflammation  have  resulted  from  this. 
If  the  fist  is  doubled,  and  the  fleam  is  sharp  and  is  struck  with 
sufficient  force  with  the  lower  part  of  the  hand,  the  bloodstick 
may  be  dispensed  with. 

For  general  bleeding  the  jugular  vein  is  selected.  The  horse 
is  blindfolded  on  the  side  on  which  he  is  to  be  bled,  or  his  head 
turned  well  away.  The  hair  is  smoothed  along  the  course  of  the 
vein  with  the  moistened  finger  ;  then,  with  the  third  and  little 
fingers  of  the  left  hand,  which  holds  the  fleam,  pressure  is  made 
on  the  vein  sufficient  to  bring  it  fairly  into  view,  but  not  to  swell 
it  too  much,  for  then,  presenting  a  rounded  surface,  it  would  be 
apt  to  roll  or  slip  under  the  blow.  The  point  to  be  selected  is 
about  two  inches  below  the  union  of  the  two  portions  of  the  jug- 
ular at  the  angle  of  the  jaw  (see  Fig.  12).  The  fleam  is  to  be 
placed  in  a  direct  line  with  the  course  of  the  vein,  and  over  the 
precise  centre  of  the  vein,  as  close  to  it  as  possible,  but  its  point 
not  absolutely  touching  the  vein.  A  sharp  rap  with  the  blood- 
stick or  the  hand  on  that  part  of  the  back  of  the  fleam  immedi- 
ately over  the  blade,  will  cut  through  the  vein,  and  the  blood 
will  flow.  A  fleam  with  a  large  blade  should  always  be  pre- 
ferred, for  tlie  operation  will  be  materially  shortened,  and  this 
will  be  a  matter  of  some  consequence  with  a  fidgety  or  restive 
horse.  A  quantity  of  blood  drawn  speedily  will  also  have  far 
more  effect  on  the  system  than  double  the  weight  slowly  taken, 
while  the  wound  will  heal  just  as  readily  as  if  made  by  a  smaller 
histrument.  There  is  no  occasion  to  press  so  hard  against  the 
neck  with  the  pail,  or  can,  as  some  do  ;  a  slight  pressure,  if  the 
incision  has  been  large  enough  and  straight,  and  in  the  middle  of 
the  vein,  will  cause  the  blood  to  flow  sufficiently  fast ;  or,  the 
finger  being  introduced  into  the  mouth  between  the  tushes  and 
the  grinders,  and  gently  moved  about,  will  keep  the  mouth  in 
motion,  and  hasten  the  rapidity  of  the  stream  by  the  action  and 
pressure  of  the  neighboring  muscles. 

When  sufficient  blood  has  been  taken,  the  edges  of  the  wound 
should  be  brought  closely  and  exactly  together,  and  kept  togetliei 
by  a  small  sharp  pm  being  passed  through  them.   Round  this  a  little 


BLEEDING.  167 

tow,  or  a  few  hairs  from  the  mane  of  the  horse,  should  b®  wrap- 
ped, so  as  to  cover  the  whole  of  the  incision  ;  and  the  head  of 
the  horse  should  be  tied  up  for  several  hours  to  prevent  his  rub- 
bing the  part  against  the  manger.  In  bringing  the  edges  of  the 
wound  together,  and  introducing  the  pin,  care  should  be  taken  not 
to  draw  the  skin  too  much  from  the  neck,  otherwise  blood  will 
insinuate  itself  between  it  and  the  muscles  beneath,  and  cause  sm 
unsightly  and  sometimes  troublesome  swelling.* 

The  blood  should  be  received  into  a  vessel,  the  dimensions  of 
which  are  exactly  known,  so  that  the  operator  may  be  able  tc 
calculate  at  every  period  of  the  bleeding  the  quantity  that  is 
subtracted.  Care  likewise  should  be  taken  that  the  blood  flows 
in  a  regular  stream  into  the  centre  of  the  vessel,  for  if  it  is  suf- 
fered to  trickle  doMii  the  sides,  it  will  not  afterwards  undergo 
those  changes  by  which  we  partially  judge  of  the  extent  of  in- 
flammation. The  pulse,  however,  and  the  symptoms  of  the  case 
collectively,  will  form  a  better  criterion  than  any  change  in  the 
blood.  Twenty-four  hours  after  the  operation,  the  edges  of  the 
wound  will  have  united,  and  the  pin  should  be  withdrawn. 
When  the  bleeding  is  to  be  repeated,  if  more  than  three  or  four 
hours  have  elapsed,  it  will  be  better  to  make  a  fresh  incision 
rather  than  to  open  the  old  wound. 

For  general  bleeding  the  jugular  vein  is  selected  as  the  largest 
superficial  one,  and  most  easily  got  at.  In  eveiy  affection  of  the 
head,  and  in  cases  of  fever  or  extended  inflammatory  action,  it  is 
decidedly  the  best  place  for  bleeding.  In  local  inflammation, 
blood  may  be  taken  from  any  of  the  superficial  veins.  In  sup- 
posed affection  of  the  shoulder,  or  of  the  fore-leg  or  foot,  the  jy/a-^e 
vein,  which  comes  from  the  inside  of  the  arm,  and  runs  upwards 
directly  in  front  of  it  towards  the  jugular,  may  be  opened.  In 
affections  of  the  hind  extremity,  blood  is  sometimes  extracted 
from  the  saphcBTia,  or  thigh-vein,  which  runs  across  the  inside  of 
the  thigh.     In  foot  cases  it  may  be  taken  from  the  coronet,  or, 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — In  performing  this  operation  with  the  fleam,  the 
blood-stick  should  never  be  loaded  with  lead,  as  there  is  no  possible  occasion 
for  such  extra  weight.  The  lancet  requires  much  greater  skill ;  and,  whilst 
the  jugular  vein  of  the  near  side  is  the  most  convenient  situation  for  the 
fleam,  the  off  side  is  the  best  for  the  lancet.  In  using  the  .latter,  the  head 
of  the  horse  should  be  elevated,  so  as  to  put  the  vein  somewhat  on  the 
stretch,  and  prevent  its  rolUng ;  the  vein  is  then  pressed  with  the  fingers  of 
the  left  hand,  which,  obstructing  the  current,  causes  the  vein  to  swell :  the 
lancet  should  then  be  dexterously  thrust  forwards  and  upwards,  so  as  to  open 
the  vein  with  one  incision.  The  lancet  should  not  be  too  large — should  be 
shaped  like  a  human  lancet,  and  about  double  its  size,  with  a  very  sharp 
point.  In  bleeding  from  the  arm  or  the  thigh,  the  fleam  is  more  convenient 
tlian  the  lancet. 

In  closing  the  nr'fice  th^,  pin  should  not  be  very  large  ;  and  fine  tow  should 
be  used  tn  wind  rou'x'  Jt,  and  not  hair,  as  the  latter  is  so  apt  to  slip. 


168  BLEEDING. 

much  more  safely,  from  the  toe  ;  not  by  cutting  out,  as  the  fai- 
rier  does,  a  piece  of  the  sole  at  the  toe  of  the  frog,  which  some- 
times causes  a  wound  difficult  to  heal,  and  followed  by  festering, 
and  even  by  canker  ;  but  cutting  down  with  a  fine  drawing-knife 
called  a  searcher,  at  the  union  between  the  crust  and  the  sole  at 
the  very  toe  until  the  blood  flows,  and,  if  necessary,  encouraging 
its  discharge  by  dipping  the  foot  in  warm  water.  The  mesh- 
work  of  both  arteries  and  veins  will  be  here  divided,  and  blood 
is  generally  obtained  in  any  quantity  that  may  be  needed.  The 
bleeding  may  be  stopped  with  the  greatest  ease,  by  placing  a  bit 
of  tow  in  the  little  groove  that  has  been  cut,  and  tacking  the  shor 
over  it.=^ 

*  A  great  improvement  has  lately  been  introduced  in  the  method  of  ar- 
resting arterial  hemorrhage.  The  operation  is  very  simple,  and,  with  com- 
mon care,  successful.  The  instrument  is  a  pair  of  artery  forceps,  with  rather 
sharper  teeth  than  the  common  forceps,  and  the  blades  held  close  by  a  slide. 
Tiie  vessel  is  laid  bare,  detached  from  the  cellular  substance  around  it,  and 
the  artery  then  grasped  by  the  furceps,  the  instrument  deviating  a  very  Ut- 
ile from  the  hne  of  the  artery.  The  vessel  is  now  divided  close  to  the  for- 
ceps, and  behind  them,  and  the  forceps  are  twisted  four  or  five  times  round. 
The  forceps  are  then  loosened,  and,  generally  speaking,  not  more  than  a  drop 
or  two  of  blood  will  have  been  lost.  This  method  of  arresting  bleeding  has 
been  applied  by  several  scientific  and  benevolent  men  with  almost  con-tant 
success.  It  has  been  readily  and  effectually  practised  in  docking,  and  our 
patients  have  escaped  much  torture,  and  tetanus  lost  many  a  victim.  The 
forceps  have  been  introduced,  and  with  much  success,  in  castration,  and  thus 
the  principal  danger  of  that  operation,  as  well  as  the  most  painful  part  of 
it,  is  removed.  The  colt  will  be  a  fair  subject  for  this  experiment.  On  the 
sheep  and  the  calf  it  may  be  readily  performed,  and  the  operator  will  have 
the  pleasing  consciousness  of  rescuing  many  a  poor  animal  from  the  iinne- 
ceBsary  infliction  of  torture. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


We  now  proceed  to  the  consideration  of  the  diseases  of  the 
respiratory  system. 

THE  MEMBRANE  OF  THE  NOSE. 

The  mucous  membrane  of  the  nose  is  distinguished  from  other 
mucous. surfaces,  not  only  by  its  thickness,  but  its  vascularity. 
It  is  called  the  Schneiderian  membrane.  The  importance  of  ob- 
serving its  color  and  appearance  generally,  as  indicia  of  the  dif- 
ferent diseases  to  which  the  horse  is  subject,  has  been  adverted  to 
in  speaking  of  the  tissues  of  the  head,  (p.  103).  Its  characteristic 
appearance  under  all  circumstances,  should  be  attentively  observed 
by  every  one  who  attempts  to  prescribe  m  the  diseases  of  horses 


CATARRH  OR  COLD. 

Catarrh,  or  Cold,  is  attended  by  a  slight  discharge  from  the 
nose — now  and  then,  a  slighter  weeping  from  the  eyes,  and  some 
increased  labor  of  breathing.  When  this  is  a  simply  local  in- 
flammation, attended  by  no  loss  of  appetite  or  increased  animal 
temperature,  it  may  speedily  pass  over. 

In  many  cases,  however,  the  inflammation  extends  and  involves 
the  fauces,  the  lymphatic  and  some  of  the  salivary  glands,  the 
throat,  the  parotid  gland,  and  the  membrane  of  the  laryrix.  We 
have  then  increased  discharge  from  the  nose,  greater  redness  of 
the  membrane  of  the  nose,  more  defluxion  from  the  eyes,  and  loss 
of  appetite,  from  a  degree  of  fever  associathig  itself  with  the  local 
affection  ;  and  there  also  being  a  greater  or  less  degree  of  pain  in 
the  act  of  swallovdng,  and  which,  if  the  animal  feels  this,  he 
will  never  eat.  Cough  now  appears  more  or  less  frequent  oi 
painful ;  but  with  no  great  acceleration  of  the  pulse,  or  heaving 
jf  the  flanks. 

Catarrh  frequently  arises  from  exposures,  or  changes  so  trifling, 

H 


173  INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    LARYNX. 

that  they  would  not  be  supposed  of  the  least  importance  by  one 
unaccustomed  to  horses. 

In  the  majority  of  cases,  a  few  warm  mashes,  warm  clothing, 
and  a  tvami  stable — a  fever-ball  or  two,  with  a  drachm  of  aloes 
in  each,  and  a  little  antimony  in  the  evening,  will  set  all  right. 
In  nineteen  cases  out  of  twenty,  recovery  would  take  place  with- 
out any  medicine,  if  the  horse  is  kept  free  from  the  cordiah  which 
grooms  are  so  ibnd  of  administering  ;  but  in  the  twentieth  case, 
a  neglected  cough  may  be  a  precursor  of  bronchitis  and  pneumo- 
nia. These  sometimes  creep  on  before  any  danger  is  suspected. 
If  there  is  the  least  fever,  the  horse  should  be  bled.  A  common 
cold,  attended  by  heat  of  the  mouth  or  indisposition  to  feed,  should 
never  pass  without  the  abstraction  of  blood.  A  physic-ball,  how- 
ever, should  not  be  given  in  catarrh  without  much  consideration. 
If  inflammation  of  the  lungs  has  set  in,  a  dose  of  physic  would 
be  little  better  than  a  dose  of  poison.  If  there  is  no  danger  of 
this,  ?mall  doses  of  aloes  may  be  united  with  the  other  medicine 
with  advantage. 

If  catarrh  is  accompanied  by  sore  throat — if  the  subrriaxillary 
glands  are  enlarged — if  the  horse  should  quid  his  feed  and  gulp 
his  water,  this  Mali  be  an  additional  reason  for  bleeding,  and 
also  for  warm  clothing  and  a  comfortable  stable. 

Some  stimulating  liniment  may  be  applied  over  the  inflamed 
gland,  consisting  of  turpentine  or  tincture  of  cantharides,  diluted 
with  spermaceti  or  neat's-foot  oil — strong  enough  to  produce  con- 
siderable irritation  on  the  skin,  but  not  to  blister,  or  to  destroy  the 
hair.  An  embrocation  sufficiently  powerful,  and  yet  that  nevei 
destroys  the  hair,  consists  of  equal  parts  of  hartshorn,  oil  of  turpen- 
tine, and  camphorated  spirit,  with  a  small  quantity  of  lauda- 
num,^ 


INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  LARYNX. 

Strictly  speaking,  this  refers  to  inflammation  confined  to  the 
larynx  ;  but  either  catarrh  or  bronchitis,  or  both,  fi'equently  ac- 
company the  complaint. 

Its  approach  is  often  insidious,  scarcely  to  be  distinguished 
from  catarrh,  except  by  being  attended  with  more  soreness  of 
throat,  and  less  enlargement  of  the  parotid  glands.  There  are 
also  more  decided  and  violent  paroxysms  of  coughing  than  in 
common  catarrh,  attended  by  a  gurgling  noise,  which  may  be 
heard  at  a  little  distance  from,  the  horse,  and  which,  by  auscul 
tation,  is  decidedly  referable  to  the  larynx.     The  breathing  i& 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — la  catarrh,  if  there  is  cough,  the  throat  should  be 
blistered,  or  stimulated  by  the  tincture  of  cantharides. 


SORE    THROAT.  I7l 

shorter  and  quicker,  and  evidently  more  painful  than  catarrh  ; 
the  membrane  of  the  nose  is  redder  ;  it  is  of  a  deep  modena 
color  ;  and  the  horse  shrinks,  and  exhibits  great  pain  when  the 
larynx  is  pressed  upon.  The  paroxysms  of  coughing  become 
more  frequent  and  violent,  and  the  animal  appears  at  times  al- 
most sullbcated. 

As  the  soreness  of  the  throat  proceeds  the  head  of  the  animal 
is  projected,  and  the  neck  has  a  peculiar  stiffness.  There  is  also 
much  difficulty  of  swallowing.  Considerable  swelling  of  the 
larynx  and  the  pharynx  ensue,  and  also  of  the  parotid,  sublin- 
gual, and  submaxillary  glands.  As  the  inflammation  increases, 
the  cough  becomes  hoarse  and  feeble,  and  in  some  cases  alto- 
gether suspended.  At  the  commencement,  there  is  usually  little 
or  no  running  at  the  nose  ;  but  the  secretion  soon  appears,  either 
pure  or  mixed  with  an  unusual  quantity  of  saliva. 

Auscultation  is  a  very  important  aid  in  the  discovery  of  the 
nature,  and  serious  or  trifling  character  of  this  disease.  It  can- 
not be  too  often  repeated,  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  valuable 
means  which  we  possess  of  detecting  the  seat,  intensity,  and  re- 
sults of  the  maladies  of  the  respiratory  passages.  No  instru- 
ment is  required  ;  the  naked  ear  can  be  applied  evenly  and  flatly, 
and  with  a  very  slight  pressure,  on  any  jDart  that  it  is  of  impor- 
tance to  examine.  The  healthy  sound,  when  the  ear  is  applied 
to  the  windpipe,  is  that  of  a  body  of  air  passing  uninterruptedly 
through  a  smooth  tube  of  somewhat  considerable  calibre  :  it 
very  much  resembles  the  sound  of  a  pair  of  forge  hellowa,  when 
not  too  violently  worked. 

He  who  is  desirous  of  ascertaining  whether  there  is  any  dis- 
ease in  the  larynx  of  a  horse,  should  apply  his  ear  to  the  lower 
part  of  the  windpipe.  If  he  finds  that  the  air  passes  in  and  out 
without  interruption,  there  is  no  disease  of  any  consequence 
either  in  the  windpipe  or  the  chest ;  for  it  would  immediately  be 
detected  by  the  loudness  or  the  interruption  of  the  murmur 
Then  let  him  gradually  proceed  up  the  neck,  with  his  ear  still 
upon  the  windpipe.  Perhaps  he  soon  begins  to  recognize  a  little 
gurgling,  grating  sound.  As  he  continues  to  ascend,  that  sound 
is  more  decisive,  mingled  v\dth  an  occasional  wheezing,  whistling 
noise.  He  can  have  no  surer  proof  that  here  is  the  impediment 
to  the  passage  of  the  air,  proceeding  from  the  thickening  of  the 
membrane  and  diminution  of  the  passage,  or  increased  secretion 
of  mucus,  which  bubbles  and  rattles  as  the  breath  passes. 
By  the  degree  of  the  rattling  or  Avhistling,  the  owner  will  judge 
which  cause  of  obstruction  preponderates — in  fact,  he  will  have 
discovered  the  seat  and  the  state  of  the  disease,  and  the  sooner 
he  has  recourse  to  professional  advice  the  better. 

Chronic  laryngitis  is  of  more  frequent  occurrence  than  acute 


172  INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    WINDPIPE ROARING. 

Many  of  the  coughs  that  are  most  troublesome  are  to  be  traced 
to  this  source. 

In  violent  cases  laryngitis  terminates  in  suffocation  ;  in  others, 
in  thick  wind  or  in  roaring.  Occasionally  it  is  necessary  to  have 
recourse  to  the  operation  of  tracheotomy. 

In  acute  laryngitis  the  treatment  to  be  pursued  is  sufficiently 
plain.  The  blood  must  be  abstracted,  and  that  from  the  jugu- 
lar vein,  for  there  will  then  be  the  combined  advantage  of  gen- 
eral and  local  bleeding.  The  blood  must  be  somewhat  copious- 
ly withdrawn,  depending  on  the  degree  of  inflammation — the 
practitioner  never  for  a  moment  forgetting  that  he  has  to  do 
with  inflammation  of  a  mucous  membrane,  and  that  what  he 
does  he  must  do  quickly.  He  will  have  lost  the  opportunity  of 
struggling  successfully  with  the  disease  when  it  has  altered  its 
character  and  debility  has  succeeded.  The  cases  must  be  few 
and  far  between  when  the  surgeon  makes  up  his  mind  to  any 
determinate  quantity  of  blood,  and  leaves  his  assistant  or  his 
groom  to  abstract  it ;  he  must  himself  bleed,  and  until  the  pulse 
flutters  or  the  constitution  is  evidently  affected. 

Next  must  be  given  the  fever  medicine  already  recommended  ; 
the  digitalis,  nitre,  and  emetic  tartar,  with  aloes.  Aloes  may 
here  be  safely  given,  because  the  chest  is  not  yet  implicated.  To 
this  must  be  added,  and  immediately,  a  blister,  and  a  sharp  one. 
The  surgeon  is  sure  of  the  part,  and  he  can  bring  his  counter- 
irritant  almost  into  contact  with  it. 


INFLAMMATION^  OF  THE  TRACHEA. 

Inflammation  of  the  membrane  of  the  larynx,  and  especially 
when  it  has  run  on  to  ulceration,  may  rapidly  spread,  and  in- 
volve the  greater  part  or  the  whole  of  the  lining  membrane  of 
the  trachea.  A  blister  must  reach  as  low  as  the  rattling  sound 
can  be  detected,  and  somewhat  beyond  this.  The  fever  medi- 
cines must  be  administered  in  somewhat  increased  doses  ;  and  the 
bleeding  must  be  repeated,  if  the  state  of  the  pulse  does  not  in- 
dicate the  contrary. 

ROARING. 

The  present  will  be  the  proper  place  to  speak  of  that  singul  ar 
impairment  of  the  respiratory  function  recognized  by  this  name 
It  is  an  unnatural,  loud,  grunting  sound  made  by  the  animal  in 
the  act  of  breathing,  when  in  quick  action  or  on  any  sudden,  ex- 
ertion. On  carefully  listening  to  the  sound,  it  will  appear  that 
the  roaring  is  produced  in  the  act  of  inspiration,  and  not  in  that 


ROARING.  173 

of  expiration.  If  the  horse  is  briskly  trotted  on  a  level  surface, 
and  more  particularly  if  he  is  hurried  up  hill,  or  if  he  is  suddenly 
threatened  with  a  stick,  this  peculiar  sound  will  be  heard  and 
cannot  be  mistaken. 

Roaring  is  manifest  unsoundness.  It  proceeds  from  obstruc- 
tion in  some  portion  of  the  respiratory  canal. 

Bamh  of  Coagulated  Lymph  in  the  trachea  are  a  frequent 
cause  of  roarmg.  Thickening  of  the  membrane  is  a  more  fre- 
quent cause.  In  some  morbid  specimens  this  is  treble  its  natu- 
ral thickness,  and  covered  with  ulcerations.  This  is  particularly 
annoying  in  the  upper  part  of  the  windpipe,  where  the  passages, 
m  their  natural  state,  are  narrow.  Thus  it  is  that  roaring  is 
the  occasional  consequence  of  strangles  and  catarrh,  and  other 
affections  of  the  superior  passages. 

Chronic  cough  occasionally  terminates  in  roaring. 

Tlie  Disease  of  DraaglU- Horses  generally. — There  can  be 
no  doubt  of  the  fact,  that  the  majority  of  roarers  are  draught- 
horses,  and  horses  of  quick  draught.  They  are  not  only  sub- 
ject to  the  usual  predisposing  causes  of  this  obstruction,  but 
there  is  something  superadded, — ^the  system  of  tight-reining.  To 
a  certain  extent,  the  curb-rein  is  necessary.  Without  it  there 
would  be  scarcely  any  command  over  a  wilful  horse,  and  it 
would  need  a  strong  arm  occasionally  to  guide  even  the  most 
willing.  But  curbing  too  tight,  particularly  when  the  horse  is 
young,  leads  to  frequent  injuries  to  the  larynx,  which  result  in 
inflammation,  and  ultimately  cause  roaring. 

Facts  have  established  the  hereditary  predisposition  to  roar- 
mg,  beyond  the  possibility  of  doubt,  and  therefore  a  stallion  that 
is  a  roarer  should  never  be  bred  from. 

It  is  probably  useless  to  attempt  to  cur&  confirmed  roaring, 
but  if  it  is  of  recent  date,  and  the  seat  of  the  obstruction  can  be 
detected  by  auscultation,  or  otherwise,  it  might  be  well  to  bleed, 
purge,  and  most  certainly  to  blister  over  the  aflected  part.  The 
physic  having  set,  a  course  of  fever  medicine  should  be  com- 
menced. It  should  be  considered  as  a  case  of  chronic  inflamma- 
tion, and  to  be  subdued  by  a  continuance  of  moderate  depletory 
measures.  Probably  blood  should  again  be  abstracted  in  less 
quantity  ;  a  second  dose  of  physic  should  be  given,  and,  most 
certainly,  the  blister  should  be  repeated,  or  kept  discharging  by 
means  of  some  stimulating  unguent.  The  degree  of  success 
which  attends  these  measures  would  determine  the  farther  pur- 
suit of  them.  If  no  relief  is  obtained  after  a  fortnight  or  three 
weeks,  perhaps  the  experimenter  would  ponder  on  another  mode 
of  treatment.  He  would  again  carefully  explore  the  whole  ex- 
tent of  the  trachea,  and  if  he  could  yet  refer  the  rattling  or 
wheezing  to  the  same  point  at  which  he  had  before  observed  it, 


i74  BRONCHOCELE. 

he  wo^ald  "boldly  propose  tracheotomy,  for  he  could  certainly  cut 
upon  the  seat  of  disease. 

If  he  found  one  of  these  organized  bands,  the  removal  of  it 
would  afford  immediate  relief ;  or  if  he  found  merely  a  thickened 
membrane,  no  harm  would  be  done  ;  or  the  loss  of  blood  might 
abate  the  local  inflammation.     No  one  would  eagerly  undertake 

case  of  roaring  ;  but,  having  undertaken  it,  he  should  give  the 
measures  that  he  adopts  a  fair  trial,  remembering  that,  in  every 
chronic  case  like  this,  the  only  hope  of  success  depends  on  perse- 
verance.* 

BRONCHOCELE. 

Mr.  Percival  is  almost  the  only  author  who  takes  notice  of  en- 
largement of  the  thyroid  glands — two  oval  bodies  below  the  la- 
rynx, and  attached  to  the  trachea.  The  use  of  them  has  never 
been  satisfactorily  explained.  They  sometimes  grow  to  the  size 
of  an  Qg^,  or  larger,  but  are  unattended  by  cough  or  fever,  and 
are  nothing  more  than  an  eye-sore.  The  iodine  ointment  has  oc- 
casionally been  applied  with  success.  The  blister  or  the  seton 
may  also  be  useful, 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — This  disease  is  not  always  so  easily  discovered 
as  is  impUed  by  the  statement  in  the  text.  In  some  cases,  tlie  symptoms  of 
roaring  are  only  developed  after  a  short  gallop  ;  and,  in  many,  roarers  will 
not  grunt  when  suddenly  alarmed.  It  is  generally  very  old  and  confirmed 
v.ases  that  exhibit  this  symptom.  There  are  not  only  a  variety  of  degrees 
in  which  roaring  may  exist,  but  there  are  many  different  causes  which  pro 
duce  the  noise  which  gives  a  name  to  the  disease.  Several  of  these  havo 
been  stated  in  the  text ;  but  one,  and  by  no  means  an  unfrequent  one,  has 
been  omitted,  which  is  the  absorption  and  paralyzation  of  the  muscles,  on 
one  side,  which  assist  in  opening  and  enlarging  the  entrance  to  the  larynx, 
by  pulling  back  the  arytenoid  cartilages,  as  they  are  termed.  The  conse- 
quence of  this  is,  that  an  obstruction  takes  place  ;  and,  although  the  air  can 
enter  with  sufficient  rapidity  when  the  animal  is  at  rest,  yet  when  respira- 
tion is  hurried  by  exertion,  a  great  noise  is  occasioned  by  the  air  passing 
thVough  the  narrow  aperture  with  great  rapidity. 

The  greater  number  of  the  cases  of  roaring  certainly  occur  with  carriage 
horses  and  aie  connected  with  the  practice  of  tight  reining.  It  is  not,  how- 
ever, the  sudden  reining  in  which  causes  the  mischief,  but  the  long-contin- 
ued position  of  the  windpipe  when  thus  distorted.  When  the  breathing  is 
greatly  distressed,  either  from  over-exertion  or  from  inflammation  of  the 
lungs,  the  horse  stretches  out  his  head,  and  extends  the  nostrils,  and  by  this 
means  places  the  air-passages  in  a  straight  line,  and  admits  their  greatest  ex- 
pansion. When,  however,  the  neck  is  much  arched,  there  is  a  great  angle 
formed  at  the  throat,  and  the  upper  ring  of  the  windpipe  is  forced  up  so  as 
to  form  an  obsti'uction  to  the  passage  of  air.  This  position  of  the  windpipe, 
at  first  temporary,  at  length  becomes  permanent,  and  thus  proves  a  frequent 
cause  of  roarino-. 


EPIDEMIC    CATARRH.  175 


EPIDEMIC  CATARRH,  OR  INFLUENZA. 

Various  names  are  given  to  this  disease — influenza,  distempei, 
catarrhal  fever,  and  epidemic  catarrh.  Its  usual  history  is  as 
follows : 

In  the  spring  of  the  year — a  cold,  wet  spring—s-aud  that  sue 
ceeding  to  a  mild  winter,  and  especially  among  yoan*  norses,  and 
those  in  high  condition,  or  made  up  ibr  sale,  or  that  have  been 
kept  m  hot  stables,  or  exposed  to  the  usual  causes  of  inflamma 
tion,  this  disease  principally,  and  sometimes  almost  exclusively, 
prevails.  Those  that  are  in  moderate  work,  and  that  are  corre- 
spondingly fed,  generally  escape  ;  or  even  when  it  appears  in 
most  of  the  stables  in  a  narrower  or  wider  district,  horses  in  bar- 
racks, regularly  worked  and  moderately  fed,  although  not  entirely 
exempt,  are  comparatively  seldom  diseased. 

If  it  has  been  observed  from  the  begiiming,  it  will  be  found 
that  the  attack  is  usually  sudden,  ushered  in  by  shivering,  and 
that  quickly  succeeded  by  acceleration  of  pulse,  heat  of  mouth, 
staring  coat,  tucked-up  belly,  diminution  of  appetite,  painful  but 
not  loud  cough,  heaving  at  the  flanks,  redness  of  the  membrane 
of  the  nose,  swelled  and  weeping  eye,  dejected  countenance- 
these  are  the  symptoms  of  catarrh ,  but  under  a  sonaewhat  aggra 
vated  form. 

It  clearly  is  not  inflammation  of  the  lungs  ;  for  there  is  no 
coldness  of  the  extremities,  no  looking  at  the  flanks,  no  stifle  im- 
movable position,  no  obstinate  standing  up.  It  is  not  simple 
catarrh  ;  for  as  early  as  the  second  day  there  is  evident  debility 
The  horse  staggers  as  he  walks. 

It  is  inflammation  of  the  respiratory  passages  generally.  l\ 
commences  in  the  membrane  of  the  nose,  but  it  gradually  involves 
the  whole  of  the  respiratory  apparatus.  Before  the  disease  has 
been  established  four-and-twenty  hours,  there  is  frequently  sore 
throat.  The  horse  quids  his  hay,  and  gulps  his  water.  There  is 
no  great  enlargement  of  the  glands  ;  the  parotids  are  a  little  tu- 
mefied, the  submaxillary  somewhat  more  so,  but  not  at  all  equiv- 
alent to  the  degree  of  soreness.  That  soreness  is  excessive,  and 
day  after  day  the  horse  will  obstinately  refuse  to  eat.  Discharge 
from  the  nose  soon  follows  in  considerable  quantity  :  thick,  very 
early  purulent,  and  sometimes  fetid.  The  breathing  is  accelera- 
ted and  laborious  at  the  beginning,  but  does  not  always  increase 
with  the  progress  of  the  disease — nay,  sometimes  a  deceitl'ul  calm 
succeeds,  and  the  pulse,  quickened  and  lull  at  first,  soon  loses  its 
firmness,  and  although  it  usually  maintains  its  unnatural  quick- 
ness, yet  it  occasionally  deviates  from  this,  and  subsides  to  little 
more  than  its  natural  standard.     The  extremities  continue  to  be 


176  EPIDEMU-    CATARRH. 

comibrtably  warm,  or  at  least  the  temperature  is  variable,  and 
there  is  not  in  the  manner  of  the  arinAal.  or  in  anyone  symptom, 
a  decided  reference  to  any  particular  part  or  spot,  as  the  chief 
seat  of  disease. 

Thus  the  malady  proceeds  for  aw  uncertahi  period :  occa- 
sionally for  several  days — in  not  a  lew  instances  through  th? 
whole  of  its  course,  and  the  animal  dias  exhausted  by  extensive 
or  general  irritation  :  but  in  other  ca^es  the  mflammation  as 
sumes  a  local  determination,  and  we  have  brojichitis  or  pneumo- 
nia, but  of  no  very  acute  character,  yet  difficult  to  treat,  from  the' 
general  debility  with  which  it  is  connected.  Sometimes  there 
are  considerable  swellings  in  various  parts,  as  the  chest,  the  belly. 
the  extremities,  and  particularly  the  head.  The  brain  is  occa- 
sionally affected  ;  the  horse  grows  stupid ;  the  coniunctiva  i& 
alarmingly  red  ;  the  animal  becomes  gradually  unconscious,  and 
delirium  follows.  A  curious  thickening,  that  may  be  mistaken 
for  severe  sprain,  is  sometimes  observed  about  the  tendons.  It  is 
seen  under  the  knee  or  about  the  fetlock.  It  is  hot  a'hd  tender, 
and  the  lameness  is  considerable.  The  feet  occasionally  suffer 
severely.  There  is  a  determination  of  fever  to  them  far  more  vio 
lent  than  the  original  disease,  and  separation  of  the  laminse  and 
descent  of  the  sole  ensue. 

The  most  decided  character  in  this  disease  is  debility.  Not  the 
stiff,  unwilling  motion  oi"  the  horse  with  pneumonia,  and  which 
has  been  mistaken  for  debility — every  muscle  being  needed  ibr 
the  purposes  of  respiration,  and  therefore  imperfectly  used  in  lo- 
comotion— but  actual  loss  of  power  in  the  muscular  system  gen 
erally.  The  horse  staggers  from  the  second  day.  He  threatens 
to  fall  if  he  is  moved.  He  is  sometimes  down,  permanently  down, 
on  the  third  or  fourth  day.  The  emaciation  is  also  occasionally 
rapid  and  extreme. 

At  length  the  medical  treatment  which  has  been  employed 
succeeds,  or  nature  begins  to  rally.  The  cough  somewhat  sub- 
sides ;  the  pulse  assumes  its  natural  standard  ;  the  countenance 
acquires  a  little  more  animation  ;  the  horse  will  eat  a  small  quan- 
tity of  some  choice  thing ;  and  health  and  strength  slowly,  very 
slowly  indeed,  return  :  but  at  other  times,  when  there  has  been 
no  decided  change  during  the  progress  of  the  disease,  no  manage- 
able change  of  inflammation  while  there  was  sufficient  power  left 
in  the  constitution  to  struggle  with  it,  a  strange  exasperation  of 
symptoms  accompanies  the  closing  scene.  The  extremities  be- 
come deathly  cold  ;  the  flanks  heave  ;  the  countenance  betrays 
greater  distress  ;  the  membrane  of  the  nose  is  of  an  intense  red  , 
and  inflammation  of  the  substance  of  the  lungs,  and  congestion 
and  death  speedily  follow. 

At  other  times  the  redness  of  the  nostril  suddenly  disappears  ' 


EPIDEMIC    CATARRH.  '  177 

it  becomes  purple,  livid,  dirty  brown,  and  the  discharge  is  bloody 
and  ietid,  the  breath  and  all  the  excretio'is  becoming  fetid  too 
The  mild  character  of  the  disease  gives  way  to  malignant  typhus  ; 
swellings,  and  purulent  ulcers,  spread  over  dili'erent  parts  ol'  the 
frame,  and  the  animal  is  soon  destroyed. 

Post-mortem  Examination. — Examination  after  death  suffi- 
ciently displays  the  real  character  of  the  disease,  inflammation 
first  of  the  respiratory  passages,  and,  in  fatal  or  aggravated  cases, 
of  the  mucous  membranes  generally.  From  the  pharynx,  to  the 
termination  of  the  small  intestines,  and  often  including  even  the 
larger  ones,  there  will  not  be  a  part  free  from  inflammation  ;  tlie 
upper  part  of  the  trachea  will  be  filled  with  adliesive  spume,  and 
the  lining  membrane  thickened,  injected,  or  ulcerated  ;  the  lining 
tunic  of  the  bronchial  tubes  will  exhibit  unequivocal  marks  of  in- 
flammation ;  the  substance  of  the  lungs  will  be  engorged,  and 
often  inflamed  ;  the  heart  will  partake  of  tlie  same  affection  ;  its 
external  coat  will  be  red,  or  purple,  or  black,  and  its  internal  one 
will  exhibit  spots  of  ecchymosis  ;  the  pericardium  will  be  thick- 
ened, and  the  pericardiac  and  pleuritic  bags  will  contain  an  un- 
due ciuantity  of  serous,  or  bloody-serous,  or  purulent  fluid. 

The  (Esophagus  will  be  inflamed,  sometimes  ulcerated — ^the 
stomach  always  so  ;  the  small  intestines  will  uniformly  present 
patches  of  inflammation  or  ulceration.  The  liver  will  be  in- 
flamed— the  spleen  enlarged — no  part,  indeed,  will  have  escaped  ; 
and  if  the  malady  has  assumed  a  typhoid  form  in  its  latter  stages, 
the  universality  and  malignancy  of  the  ulceration  will  be  ex- 
cessive. 

This  disease  is  clearly  attributable  to  atmospheric  influence. 
It  is  most  prevalent  in  cold,  ungenial  weather,  and  is  most  fre- 
quent in  the  spring.  It  is  both  ejyldemic  and  endemic — some- 
times raging  over  large  districts  so  that  scarcely  a  stable  escapes, 
and  at  others,  being  confined  to  a  neighborhood.  It  is  much 
more  liable  to  make  its  appearance  in  stables  where  a  number  of 
horses  are  kept,  than  in  smaller  ones. 

The  disease  is  beyond  all  doubt  contagious. 

With  regard  to  the  treatment  of  epidemic  catarrh,  there  may 
be,  and  is  at  times,  considerable  difficulty.  It  is  a  disease  of  the 
mucous  membrane,  and  thus  connected  with  much  debility  ;  but 
it  is  also  a  disease  of  a  febrile  character,  and  the  inflammation  is 
occasionally  intense.  The  veterinary  surgeon,  therefore,  must 
judge  for  himself.  Is  the  disease  in  its  earliest  stage  marked  by 
evident  inflammatory  action  ?  Is  there  much  redness  of  the 
membrane  of  the  nose — much  acceleration  of  the  pulse — much 
heaving  of  the  flanks  ?  If  so,  blood  must  be  abstracted.  The 
orifice  should  be  large,  that  the  blood  may  flow  quickly,  and  the 
circulation  be  sooner  aflccted  ;  and  the  medical  attendant  should 
12  li 


178  EPIDEMIC    CATARRH. 

be  present  at  this  first  venesection,  that  he  may  close  the  orifict 
as  soon  as  the  pulse  begins  to  falter.  This  attention  to  the  first 
bleeding  is  indispensable.  It  is  the  carelessness  with  which  it  is 
perlbrmed — the  ignorance  of  the  object  to  be  accomplished,  and 
the  effect  actually  produced,  that  destroys  half  the  horses  that 
are  lost  from  this  malady.  The  first  falter  of  the  pulse  is  the  sig- 
nal to  suspend  the  bleeding.  Every  drop  lost  afterwards  may  be 
wanted. 

If  there  is  no  appearance  of  febrile  action,  or  only  a  very  slight 
one,  small  doses  of  aloes  may  be  given,  combined  with  the  fever 
medicines  recommended  for  catarrh.  As  soon  as  the  faeces  are 
pultaceous,  or  even  before  that,  the  aloes  should  be  omitted  and 
the  fever  medicine  continued.  It  will  rarely  be  prudent  to  con- 
tinue the  aloes  beyond  the  third  drachm. 

A  stricter  attention  must  be  paid  to  diet  than  the  veterinarian 
usually  enforces,  or  the  groom  dreams  of.  No  corn  must  be  al- 
lowed, but  mashes  and  thin  gruel.  The  water  should  be  entirely 
taken  away,  and  a  bucket  of  gruel  suspended  in  the  box.  This 
is  an  excellent  plan  with  regard  to  every  sick  horse  that  we  do 
not  wish  to  reduce  too  much  ;  and  when  he  finds  that  the  morn- 
ing and  evening  pass  over,  and  his  water  is  not  ofiered  to  him, 
he  will  readily  take  to  the  gruel,  and  drink  as  much  of  it  as  is 
good  for  him.  Green  meat  should  be  early  ofiered,  such  as  grass, 
tares  (the  latter  especially),  lucerne,  and,  above  all,  carrots.  If 
these  cannot  be  procured,  a  little  hay  may  be  wetted,  and  ofiered 
morsel  after  morsel  by  the  hand.  Should  this  be  refused,  the  hay 
may  be  damped  with  water  slightly  salted,  and  then  the  patient 
will  generally  seize  it  with  avidity. 

Should  the  horse  refuse  to  eat  during  the  two  or  three  first 
days,  there  is  no  occasion  to  be  in  a  hurry  to  drench  with  gruel ; 
it  will  make  the  mouth  sore,  and  the  throat  sore,  and  tease  and 
disgust :  but  if  he  should  long  continue  obstinately  to  refuse  his 
food,  nutriment  must  be  forced  upon  him.  Good  thick  gruel  must 
be  horned  down,  or,  what  is  better,  given  by  means  of  Read's  pump. 

The  practitioner  will  often  and  anxiously  have  recourse  to  aus 
cultation.  He  will  listen  for  the  mucous  rattle,  creeping  down 
the  windpipe,  and  entering  the  bronchial  passages.  If  he  camiot 
detect  it  below  the  larynx,  he  will  apply  a  strong  blister,  reach- 
ing from  ear  to  ear,  and  extending  to  the  second  or  third  ring  of 
the  trachea.  If  he  can  trace  the  rattle  in  the  windpipe,  he  must 
follow  it, — he  must  blister  as  far  as  the  disease  has  spread.  This 
will  often  have  an  excellent  efiect,  not  only  as  a  counter-irritant, 
but  as  rousing  the  languid  powers  of  the  constitution.  A  rowel 
of  tolerable  size  between  the  fore-legs  cannot  do  harm.  It  may 
act  as  a  derivative,  or  it  may  take  away  a  disposition  to  inflam 
mation  in  the  contiguous  portion  of  the  chest. 


EPIDEMIC    CATARRH.  17J) 

The  inflammation  which  characterizes  the  early  stage  of  this 
iisease  is  at  first  confined  to  the  memhrane  of  the  mouth  and  the 
fauces  Can  fomentations  be  appHed  ?  Yes,  and  to  the  very 
part,  by  means  of  a  hot  mash,  not  thrown  into  the  manger  over 
which  the  head  of  the  horse  cannot  be  confined,  but  placed  in 
that  too-much-undervalued  and  discarded  article  of  stable-furni- 
ture, the  nose-bag.  The  vapor  of  the  water  will,  at  eveiy  inspi- 
ration, pass  over  the  inflamed  surface.  In  the  majority  of  cases 
relief  will  speedily  be  obtained,  and  that  suppuration  from  the 
part  so  necessary  to  the  permanent  removal  of  the  inflammation 
— a  copious  discharge  of  mucus  or  purulent  matter  from  the  nos- 
trils— will  be  hastened.  If  the  discharge  does  not  appear  so 
speedily  as  could  be  wished,  a  stimulant  should  be  applied  to  the 
part.  The  vapor  impregnated  with  turpentine  arising  from  fresh 
yellow  deal  saw-dust,  used  mstead  of  bran,  will  have  very  con- 
siderable eflect  in  quickening  and  increasing  the  suppuration.  It 
may  even  be  resorted  to  almost  from  the  begiiming,  if  there  is 
not  evidently  much  irritability  of  membrane. 

A  hood  is  a  useful  article  of  clothing  in  these  cases.  It  in- 
creases the  perspiration  from  the  surface  covering  the  inflamed 
part — a  circumstance  always  of  considerable  moment. 

An  equable  warmth  should  be  preserved,  if  possible,  over  the 
whole  body.  The  hand-brush  should  be  gently  used  every  day, 
and  harder  and  more  eflectual  rubbing  applied  to  the  leg.  The 
patient  should,  if  possible,  be  placed,  in  a  loose  box,  in  wliich  he 
may  toddle  about,  and  take  a  little  exercise,  and  out  of  which 
he  should  rarely,  if  at  all,  be  taken.  The  exercise  of  which  the 
groom  is  so  fond  in  these  cases,  and  which  must  in  the  most  per 
emptory  terms  be  forbidden,  has  destroyed  thousands  of  horses. 
The  air  should  be  fresh  and  uncontaminated,  but  never  chilly ; 
for  the  object  is  to  increase  and  not  to  repress  cutaneous  perspira- 
tion ;  to  produce,  if  possible,  a  determ  nation  of  blood  to  the 
skin,  and  not  to  drive  it  to  the  part  alreaay  too  much  overloaded. 
In  order  to  accomplish  this,  the  clothing  shouM  be  rather  warmer 
than  usual. 

The  case  may  proceed  somewhat  slowly,  and  not  quite  satis- 
factorily to  the  practitioner  or  his  employer.  Thero  is  not  much 
fever — there  is  little  or  no  local  mflammation  ;  but  tnere  is  great 
emaciation  and  debility,  and  total  loss  of  appetite.  The  quan- 
tity of  the  sedative  may  then  be  lessened  but  not  omitted  alto- 
gether ;  for  the  fire  may  not  be  extinguished,  although  for  a  little 
while  concealed.  There  are  no  diseases  so  insidious  and  treach- 
erous as  these.  Mild  and  vegetable  tonics,  such  as  gentian  and 
ginger,  may  be  given.  Two  days  after  this  the  sedative  may  be 
altogether  omitted,  and  the  tonic  gradually  increased. 

The  feeding  should   now  be  sedulously  attended  to.     Almost 


180  EPIDEMIC    CATARRH. 

every  kind  of  green  meat  that  can  be  obtained  should  be  given, 
particularly  carrots,  nicely  scraped  and  sliced.  The  food  should 
be  changed  as  often  as  the  capricious  appetite  prompts  ;  and  oc- 
casionally, if  necessary,  the  patient  should  be  forced  with  gruel 
as  thick  as  it  will  run  from  the  horn,  but  the  gradual  return 
of  health  should  be  well  assured,  before  one  morsel  of  corn  is 
given.  ^' 

Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — Though  this  disease  often  occurs  in  the  form  de- 
scribed in  the  text,  yet  influenza  may,  and  often  does  occur,  as  a  severe  epi- 
demic both  with  and  without  the  peculiarities  of  catarrli.  The  diseases, 
therefore,  though  bordering,  and  often  running  into  each  other,  are  yet  dis- 
tinct and  require  separate  notice. 

With  reference  to  the  treatment  of  catarrhal  fever,  we  should  recommend 
great  caution  with  regard  to  bloodletting;  and,  if  much  weakness  is  mani- 
fested, it  should  not  be  practised  at.all.  Equal  caution  should  be  observed 
with  regard  to  purgative  medicines  ;  but,  if  the  bowels  are  constipated,  a 
]:)int  of  linseed  oil,  or  two  or  three  drachms  of  aloes  in  solution,  may  be 
given,  but  not  repeated.     This  may  be  assisted  by  injections. 

The  influenza  very  extensively  prevailed  as  an  epidemic  in  this  country 
in  the  years  1886  and  1840.  A  very  full  account  of  this  disease  as  it  pre- 
vailed during  these  periods,  may  be  found  in  a  small  treatise  on  the  subject 
published  by  the  present  writer.  The  symptoms  in  1840  were  very  similar 
to  those  of  the  epizootic  of  1836,  sufficiently  so  to  justify  us  in  denominat- 
ing it  the  same  disease.  The  first  symptom  in  that  of  1840  which  awakened 
attention  w- as  the  sudden  failure  of  the  appetite  (either  total  or  partial) ; 
the  liurse,  perhaps,  might  have  appeared  perfectly  well  in  the  morning,  and 
at  noon  refused  his  feed.  At  this  stage  we  usually  found  the  mouth  liot 
and  the  pulse  quickened,  varying,  however,  from  42  to  80,  being  sometimes 
full  and  strong,  but  more  frequently  soft  and  weak.  There  was  generally  a 
somewhat  dull  appearance  of  the  animal  at  first,  although  nothing  compared 
to  what  afterwards  supervened ;  the  coat  was  often  staring,  and  when  so 
the  attack  usually  became  more  severe.  This  symptom,  however,  was  far 
from  being  universal,  and  the  extremities  were  rarely  cold.  Li  the  course 
of  six  or  twelve  hours,  the  symptoms  became  more  aggravated,  the  pulse 
increased  in  frequency,  the  appetite  was  more  diminished,  and  probably  the 
legs  and  eyelids  were  consi.  ^erably  swollen.  In  some  cases  the  resiDiration 
became  quickened,  and  in  others  there  was  cough  and  sore  throat,  but,  in 
the  majority  of  patients,  there  was  no  bronchial  affection  whatever. 

In  a  few  instances,  the  disease  quickly  reached  its  acme,  but,  generally, 
the  symptoms  increased  in  severity  for  two  or  three  days;  when,  supposing 
judicious  treatment  had  been  employed,  they  gradually  declined,  and  at 
length  totally  aisappeared,  the  animal  slowly  regaining  his  former  health 
and  spirits. 

The  bowels,  generally  speaking,  were  not  apparently  much  deranged,  but 
their  mucous  coat  was  particularly  susceptible  to  the  action  of  aperient 
medicines,  and  the  faeces  were  frequently  enveloped  in  thin  slimy  mucus, 
and  often  softer  than  in  a  state  of  health. 

In  some  cases  the  affection  of  the  eyes  was  so  violent  as  to  occasion  tem- 
pox  ary  blindness,  and  in  others  pneumonia  was  present,  but  more  frequently 
severe  bronchitis.  In  many  patients  the  oedematous  swelling  of  the  legs 
was  enormous,  and  continued  obstinate  when  the  other  symptoms  nad  abated 
But  commonly,  in  proportion  as  the  legs  and  eyes  were  much  atfecled,  the 
mternal  viscera  were  free  from  disease,  and  vice  versa.     This  rule,  however 


THE    MALIGNANT    EPIDEmC.  Ibl 


THE   MALIGNANT   EPIDEMIC. 

Continental  veterinarians  describe  a  malignant  variety  or  ter- 
'nination  of  epidemic  catarrh,  and  Britain  is  not  without  its 
records  of  it.  It  prevailed  in  1815,  and  three  horses  out  of  five 
attacked  by  it  died.  It  reappeared  in  1823,  but  was  not  so 
fatal.  In  1714,  a  malignant  epidemic  was  imported  ii:om  the 
continent,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  months  destroyed  70,000 
horses  and  cattle.  It  continued  to  visit  other  countries,  with 
but  short  intervals,  for  fifty  years  afterwards. 

The  malignant  epidemic  was  almost  uniformly  ushered  in  by 
inflammation  of  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  respiratory 
passages,  but  soon  involving  other  portions,  and  then  ensued  a 

was  by  no  means  universal,  for,  in  several  instances,  severe  cephalic 
and  thoracic  symptoms  were  present  in  the  same  subject  and  at  tlie  same 
time. 

AVhen  an  animal  had  been  previously  suffering  from  some  chronic  disease, 
such  as  broken  wind,  or  hepatized  lungs,  the  influenza  was  nearly  sure  to 
light  up  afresh  the  embers  of  the  former  fire ;  and  this  local  disease  gene 
rally  proved  troublesome  and  obstinate.  So,  likewise,  when,  from  the  idio- 
syncrasy of  the  animal,  an  organ  was  in  a  weak  and  susceptible  state,  inflam- 
mation in  that  part  was  quickly  excited  by  the  general  fever  present  in  the 
system. 

Treatment. — Whenever  the  pulse  was  full  and  strong,  blood  was  ab- 
stracted with  the  best  efl"ect.  In  such  instances  I  observed  the  blood  slow 
in  coagulating,  and  invariably  presenting  a  buify  coat;  great  care,  however, 
was  taken  not  to  abstract  too  large  a  quantity  ;  and  I  found  I  could  produce 
the  required  influence  by  half  the  quantity  which,  in  ordinary  inflaniinafory 
affections,  it  would  be  necessary  to  take.  The  amount  of  blood  withdrawn 
was  always  determined  by  its  effect  on  the  pulse,  taking  care,  as  .-oon  as 
its  character  was  materially  altered,  becoming  softer  and  less  perceptible,  to 
pin  up  the  oritice.  This  alteration  was  sometimes  produced  by  the  loss  of 
four  pounds  of  blood,  oftener  by  six,  occasionally  by  eiglit,  and  in  a  few 
instances,  ten  pounds  were  required  to  be  taken.  In  two  or  three  cases, 
where  there  appeared  to  be  severe  internal  inflammation,  the  blood-letting 
■was  repeated  on  the  following  day,  and  in  one  case  on  the  same ;  bat,  as  a 
general  rale,  even  in  cases  where  the  pulse  had  on  the  following  day  re- 
gained its  strength  and  fulness,  I  abstained  from  a  second  bleeding,  trusting 
to  medicine  and  the  progress  of  the  disease  to  soften  the  pulse,  a  result  which 
usually  followed  on  the  second  or  third  day. 

Recourse  was  had  to  local  venesection  still  more  frequently  than  to  gene- 
ral bleeding ;  indeed,  whenever  the  eyes  were  much  inflamed,  or  the  lids 
swollen,  I  scarified  the  latter  with  a  lancet,  and  opened  the  angular  reins, 
which  course  of  procedure  was  attended  with  the  best  results,  for  the  local 
inflammation  usually  subsided  in  the  course  of  twelve  or  twenty-four  hours, 
whether  I  bled  generally  before  or  not. 

On  referring  to  some  fifty  cases,  it  appears  that  in  twenty-three  I  em- 
ployed general  bleeding ;  in  the  remainder  I  did  not ;  but  in  twenty-five 
cases  I  bled  locally,  either  from  the  eyelids  and  eye  veins,  or  the  bars  of 
the  mouth.  The  majority  of  these  were  cases  which  had  not  been  bleJ 
previously,  and  the  minority  belonged  to  those  *u  which  I  laad  before  em 


18"^  THE    MALIGNANT    EPIDEMIC. 

diarrlicea,  which  no  art  could  arrest.  The  fever,  acute  at  first, 
rapidly  passed  over,  and  was  succeeded  by  great  prostration  of 
■  trength.  The  inflammation  then  spread  to  the  cellular  texture, 
and  there  was  a  peculiar  disposition  to  the  formation  of  phleg- 
monous tumors  :  sometimes  there  were  pustular  eruptions,  but, 
oftener,  deep-seated  tumors  rapidly  proceeding  to  suppuration. 
Connected  with  this  was  a  strong  tendency  to  decompositioii, 
and  unless  the  animal  was  relieved  by  some  critical  flux  or 
evacuation,  malignant  typhus  was  established,  and  the  horse 
speedily  sunk. 

The  most  satisfactory  account  of  one  of  these  epidemics  is 
given  us  by  Professor  Brugnone,  of  Turin  It  commenced  with 
loss  of  appetite,  staring  coat,  a  wild  and  wandering  look,  and  a 

ployed  venesection.  More  than  one  half  of  the  horses  that  were  bled  gene- 
lally  were  from  the  same  stable,  and  were  mostly  young  cart-horses  that 
had  been  recently  purchased,  and  afterwards  worked  very  hard.  They  had 
also  been  allowed  a  considerable  quantity  of  beans,  a  diet  to  which  they 
had  not  previously  been  accustomed.  Among  these  horses  I  found  my 
severest  cases,  which  were  often  complicated  with  pneumonia,  bronchitis,  and 
other  visceral  derangement.  In  them,  too,  the  blood  presented  a  thick 
buffy  coat,  and  the  pulse  was  strong  and  full. 

The  usual  treatment  in  the  way  of  medicines  consisted  in  administering 
the  following: — 

(Recipe.)      Oil  of  Croton 5  drops. 

Nitrate  of  potassa     .     .     .     .     4  to  6  drachms. 
Potassio-tartrate  of  antimony  .     1  drachm. 
Spirit  of  nitric  ether  ....     4  drachms  to  1  ounce. 
Solution  of  acetate  of  ammonia     2  to  4  ounces. 
"Warm  water  sufficient  to  make  a  draught. 

Sometimes  four  drachms  of  bi-tartrate  of  potassa  was  added  to  the 
above ;  and,  when  the  head  appeared  much  affected,  a  drachm  of  camphor. 
This  draught  was  generally  administered  once,  but  sometimes  twice  a  day, 
the  croton  oil  being  omitted  after  the  first  dose  :  after  the  first  day,  in  by 
far  the  greater  number  of  cases,  two  drachms  of  powdered  gentian  were 
added ;  and  after  the  second  or  third  day,  a  baU  was  substituted  for  the 
draught,  consisting  of : — 

(Reoipe.)      Nitrate  of  potassa 3  drachms. 

Potassio-tartrate  of  antimony     .  1        " 

Powdered  gentian  root      ...  2        " 

Powdered  pimento  berries     .     .  1        " 
Treacle  sufficient  to  form  a  ball. 

Counter-irritation. — In  by  far  the  greater  number  of  cases,  there  was  no 
inflammation  of  the  air-passages ;  but  whenever  it  was  denoted,  I  blistered 
the  throat,  the  course  of  the  windpipe,  and  the  breast,  or  inserted  setons  or 
rowels,  as  the  particular  case  appeared  to  demand. 

The  above  treatment  I  found  successful,  not  only  in  conquering  th  e  dis- 
ease, but  in  restoring  health  and  strength  in  a  short  space  of  time. 


THE    MALIGN.)  NT    EriDEMIC.  183 

staggering  from  the  very  commencement.  The  horse  would  con- 
tmually  be  down  and  get  up  again,  as^f  tormented  by  cobc  ;  and 
he  gazed  ahernately  at  both  flanks.  In  the  moments  of  com- 
parative ease,  there  were  universal  twitchings  of  the  slun,  and 
spasms  of  the  limbs.  The  temperature  ol"  the  ears  and  feet  was 
variable.  If  there  happened  to  be  about  the  animal  any  old 
wound  or  scar  from  setoning  or  firing,  it  opened  afresh  and  dis- 
charged a  quantity  of  thick  and  black  blood.  Very  shortly 
afterwards  the  flanks,  which  were  quiet  before,  began  to  heave, 
the  nostrils  were  dilated,  the  head  extended  for  breath.  The 
horse  had  by  this  time  become  so  weak  that,  if  he  lay  or  fell 
down,  he  could  rise  no  more  ;  or  if  he  was  up,  he  would  stand 
trembling,  staggering,  and  threatening  to  fall  every  moment. 
The  mouth  was  dry,  the  tongue  white,  and  the  breath  fetid  ;  a 
discharge  of  yellow  or  bloody  fetid  matter  proceeded  from  the 
nose,  and  fetid  blood  from  the  anus.  The  duration  of  the 
disease  did  not  usually  exceed  twelve  or  twenty-four  hours  ;  or 
if  the  animal  lingered  on,  swellings  of  the  head  and  throat,  and 
sheath,  and  scrotum  (testicle  bag)  followed,  and  he  died  ex- 
hausted or  in  convulsions. 

Black  spots  of  extravasation  were  found  in  the  cellular  mem- 
brane, in  the  tissue  of  all  the  membranes,  and  on  the  stomach. 
The  mesenteric  and  lymphatic  glands  were  engorged,  black,  and 
gangrenous.  The  membrane  of  the  nose  and  the  pharynx  was 
highly  injected,  the  lungs  were  filled  with  black  and  frothy 
blood,  or  with  black  and  livid  spots.  The  brain  and  its  me- 
ninges (enveloping  membranes)  were  unaltered. 

It  was  found  to  be  highly  contagious. 

M.  Brugnone  found  that  bleeding  only  accelerated  the  death 
of  the  patient.  He  afterwards  tried,  and  ineffectually,  acids, 
cordials,  purgatives,  vesicatories,  and  the  actual  cautery  ;  and  he 
frankly  attributes  to  the  power  of  nature  the  recovery  of  the  few 
who  survived. 

If  seen  at  its  outset  the  practitioner  would  probably  bleed ; 
but  if  a  few  hours  only  had  elapsed,  he  would  find  that  bleeding 
would  only  hasten  the  catastrophe.  Stimulants  should  be  ad- 
ministered mingled  with  opium,  and  the  spirit  of  nitrous  ether 
in  doses  of  three  or  four  ounces,  with  an  ounce  or  more  of 
laudanum.  The  quantity  of  opium  should  be  regulated  by  the 
spasms  and  the  diarrhoea.  These  medicines  should  be  repeated 
in  a  few  hours,  combined,  perhaps,  with  ginger  and  gentian.  If 
these  failed,  there  is  little  else  to  be  done.  Deep  incisions  into 
the  tumors,  or  blisters  over  them,  might  be  proper  measures ; 
but  the  principal  attention  should  be  directed  to  the  arresting  of 
the  contagion.  The  infected  should  be  immediately  removed 
from  the  healthy.     All  offensive  matter    should    be    carefully 


l«4  BRONCHITIS. 

cleared  away,  and  no  small  portion  of  chloride  of  lime  used  in 
washing  the  animal,  and  particularly  his  ulcers.  It  mi^rht  with 
jreat  propriety  be  administered  internally,  while  the  stable,  an^' 
everything  that  belonged  to  the  patient,  should  undergo  a  careful 
ablution  with  the  same  powerful  disinfectant. 

BRONCHITIS. 

This  is  not  generally  a  primary  disease.  That  inflammation 
of  the  superior  respiratory  passages,  constituting  catarrh,  gradu- 
ally creeps  downwards  and  involves  the  larynx  and  the  trachea, 
and  at  length,  possibly,  the  farthest  and  the  minutest  ramifica- 
tions of  the  air-tubes.  When  it  is  found  to  be  thus  advancing, 
its  progress  should  be  carefully  watched  by  the  assistance  of 
auscultation.  The  distant  murmur  of  the  healthy  lung  cannot 
be  mistaken,  nor  the  crepitating  (crackling)  sound  of  pneu 
monia ;  and  in  bronchitis  the  blood  may  be  heard  filtering  or 
breaking  through  the  divisions  of  the  lobes,  and  accounting  for 
that  congestion  or  filling  of  the  cells  with  mucus  and  blood, 
which  is  found  after  intense  inflammation.  Inflammation  pre- 
cedes this  increased  discharge  of  mucus.  Even  that  may  be 
detected.  The  inflamed  merabrane  is  thickened  and  tense.  It 
assumes  an  almost  cartilaginous  structure,  and  the  murmur  is 
not  only  louder,  but  has  a  kind  of  snoring  sound.  Some  have 
imagined  that  a  sound  like  a  metallic  ring  is  mingled  with  it  ; 
but  this  is  never  very  distinct. 

The  interrupted  whizzing  sound  has  often  and  clearly  indicated 
a  case  of  bronchitis,  and  there  are  many  corroborative  symptoms 
which  should  be  regarded.  The  variable  temperature  of  the 
extremities  will  be  an  important  guide — not  deathly  cold  as  in 
pneumonia,  nor  of  increased  temperature,  as  often  in  catarrh, 
but  with  a  tendency  to  coldness,  yet  this  varying  much.  The 
pulse  will  assist  the  diagnosis — more  rapid  than  in  catarrh, 
much  more  so  than  in  the  early  stage  of  pneumonia :  not  so 
hard  as  in  pleurisy,  more  so  than  in  catarrh,  and  much  more  so 
than  in  pneumonia.  The  respiration  should  next  be  examined, 
abundantly  more  rapid  than  in  catarrh,  pneumonia,  or  pleurisy ; 
generally  as  rapid  and  often  more  so  than  the  pulse,  and  accom- 
panied by  a  wheezing  sound,  heard  at  some  distance.  Mr.  Per- 
civall  relates  a  case  in  which  the  respiration  was  more  than  one 
hundred  in  a  minute. 

In  addition  to  these  clearly  characteristic  symptoms,  will  be 
observed  a  haggard  countenance,  to  which  the  anxious  look  of 
the  horse  laboring  under  inflammation  of  the  lungs  cannot  for 
a  moment  be  compared ;  also  an  evident  dread  of  suffocation 
expressed,  not  by  inability  to  move,  as  in  pneumonia,  but   fje 


BRONCHITIS.  185 

quently  an  obstinate  refusal  to  do  so ;  cough  painful  in  tlie 
extreme  ;  breath  hot,  yet  no  marked  pain  in  the  part,  and  no 
looking-  at  the  side  or  flanks. 

As  tlie  disease  proceeds,  there  will  be  considerable  discharge 
from  the  nostrils,  much  more  than  in  catarrh,  because  greater 
extent  of  membrane  is  affected.  It  will  be  muco-purulent  at 
llrst,  but  will  soon  become  amber-colored  or  green,  or  grayish 
green  ;  and  that  not  from  any  portion  of  the  food  being  returned, 
but  from  the  peculiar  hue  of  the  secretion  from  ulcers  in  tlu 
bronchial  passages.  Small  organized  pieces  will  mingle  with 
the  discharge, — portions  of  mucus  condensed  and  hardened,  and 
forced  from  the  inside  of  the  tube.  If  the  disease  proceeds,  the 
discharge  becomes  bloody,  and  then,  and  sometimes  earlier,  it  is 
fetid. 

The  natural  termination  of  this  disease,  if  unchecked,  is  in 
pneumonia. 

Like  every  other  inflammation  of  the  respiratory  passages, 
bronchitis  is  clearly  epidemic.  It  has  not,  however,  yet  been 
proved  to  be  contagious. 

Here  again  the  first  step  will  be  to  bleed  ;  and  here  too  will 
be  the  param.ount  necessity  of  the  personal  attendance  of  som« 
well-informed  person  while  the  animal  is  bled.  This  is  a  disease 
of  a  mucous — and  an  extended  mucous  surface ;  and  while  oui 
measures  must  be  prompt,  there  is  a  tendency  to  debility  which 
we  should  never  forget.  Although  the  horse  may  be  distressed 
quite  to  the  extent  wliich  Mr.  Percivall  describes,  yet  he  would 
not  bear  the  loss  of  four  pounds  of  blood  without  fainting.  No 
determinate  quantity  of  blood  will  therefore  be  taken,  but  the 
vein  will  not  be  closed  until  the  pulse  falters,  and  the  animal 
staggers,  and  in  a  minute  or  two  would  fall.  This  may  proba- 
bly effect  the  desired  object ;  if  it  does  not,  it  is  possible  that 
the  practitioner  may  not  have  a  second  opportunity. 

The  medical  attendant  should  be  cautious  in  the  administra- 
tion of  purgatives,  for  the  reasons  that  have  again  and  again 
been  stated  ;  but  if  the  bowels  are  evidently  constipated,  small 
doses  of  aloes  must  be  given  with  the  febrifuge  medicine,  and 
their  speedy  action  promoted  by  injections,  so  that  a  small 
quantity  may  suffice. 

A  blister  is  always  indicated  in  bronchitis.  It  can  never  do 
harm,  and  it  not  unfrequently  affords  decided  relief.  It  should 
extend  over  the  brisket  and  sides,  and  up  the  trachea  to  th< 
larynx.  The  food,  if  the  horse  is  disposed  to  eat,  should  bo 
mashes.  No  grain  should  be  offered,  nor  should  the  horse  be 
coaxed  to  eat.^ 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — In  addition  to  the  treatment  mentioned  in  the 
text,  the  use  of  setons  in  the  brisket,  or  as  near  the  termination  of  the 


186  INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    LUNGS. 


PNEUMONIA— INFLAMMATION-  OF  THE  LUNGS. 

The  intimate  structure  of  the  lungs  has  never  been  satisfacto 
rily  demonstrated.  They  appear,  however,  to  be  composed  of 
minute  cells  or  pouches,  into  which  the  air  is  at  length  con 
ducted,  and  over  the  delicate  membrane  constituting  the  divi- 
sions of  which  myriads  of  minute  blood-vessels  are  ramifying. 
The  blood  is  not  merely  permeating  them,  but  it  is  undergoing  a 
vital  change  in  them  ;  there  is  a  constant  decomposition  of  the 
air,  or  of  the  blood,  or  of  both  ;  and,  during  the  excitement  of 
exercise,  that  decciaj  ^^^ition  proceeds  with  fearful  rapidity.  Then 
it  can  readily  be  ccnceivvl  tLat  a  membrane  so  delicate  as  this 
must  be  in  order  thit  it^  ii  t;rp)sition  shall  be  no  hindrance  to 
the  arteiialization  of  the  blood  ;  so  fragile  also,  and  so  loaded 
with  blood-vessels,  will  be  e.TCoedingly  subject  to  inflammation, 
and  that  of  a  mosi,  dangerous  character. 

Inflammation  of  the  substance  of  the  lungs  is  the  not  unfre- 
quent  consequence  of  all  th'  liseases  of  the  respiratory  passages 
that  have  been  treated  on.  Catarrh,  influenza,  bronchitis,  if 
neglected  or  badly  managed  <  r,  sometimes  in  spite  of  the  most 
skilful  treatment,  will  spread  along  the  mucous  membrane,  and 
at  length  involve  the  termination  of  the  air-passages.  At  other 
times,  there  is  pure  pneumonia.  This  cellular  texture  is  the 
primary  seat  of  inflammation.  It  is  often  so  in  the  over-worked 
horse.  After  a  long  and  hard  day's  hunt,  it  is  very  common  for 
horses  to  be  attacked  by  pure  pneumonia. 

The  following  are  the  most  frequent  causes  of  pneumonia.  A 
sudden  transition  from  heat  to  cold  ;  a  change  from  a  warm  sta- 
ble to  a  colder  one  ;  a  neglect  of  the  usual  clothing  ;  a  neglect 
even  of  some  little  comforts ;  riding  far  and  fast  against  a  cold 
wind,  especially  in  snowy  weather  ;  and  loitering  about  when 
unusual  perspiration  has  been  excited. 

It  has  not  unfrequently  happened  that  when  horses  have  been 
turned  out  too  early  to  grass,  or  without  gradual  preparation, 
pneumonia  has  supervened.  Few  are,  under  any  management, 
BO  subject  to  pneumonia  as  those  which,  in  poor  condition  and 
without  preparation,  are  turned  into  salt-marsh. 

windpipe  as  possible,  are  of  material  service ;  and  if  the  inflammation  ex- 
tends up  the  windpipe,  the  setons  should  also  so  extend,  or  the  course  of 
the  windpipe  may  be  blistered.  Physic  should  be  avoided.  With  regard 
to  bleeding,,  this  must  depend  entirely  upon  the  state  of  the  pulse.  Some- 
times  its  weakness  entirely  forbids  depletion,  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
several  bleedings  have  been  required.  As  a  general  rule,  however,  the 
Vjlood-letting  should  not  be  very  copious. 


INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    LUNGS.  187 

On  the  otlier  hand,  a  sudden  and  considerable  change  from 
cold  to  heat  may  be  followed  by  inflammation  of  the  lungs. 

Whether  it  is  the  consequence  of  previous  disease  of  the  respi- 
ratory passages,  or  that  inflammation  first  appears  in  the  cellu- 
lar texture  of  the  lungs,  pneumonia  is  usually  ushered  in  by  a 
shivering  fit.  The  horse  is  cold  all  over ;  this,  however,  soon 
passes  ofi',  and  we  have  general  warmth,  or  heat  of  the  skin 
above  the  usual  temperature,  but  accompanied  by  coldness  of 
the  extremities — intense  deathy  coldness.  This  is  a  j)erfectly 
characteristic  symptom.  It  ivill  never  deceive.  It  is  an  early 
symptom.  It  is  found  when  there  is  little  or  no  constitutional 
disturbance  ;  when  the  pulse  is  scarcely  afiected,  and  the  flanks 
heave  not  at  all,  but  the  horse  is  merely  supposed  to  be  dull  and 
off  his  feed.  It  is  that  by  which  the  progress  of  the  disease  may 
be  unhesitatingly  marked,  when  many  scarcely  suspect  its  exist- 
ence. 

The  pulse  is  not  always  at  first  much  increased  in  rapidity, 
and  but  rarely  or  never  hard  ;  but  it  is  obscure,  oppressed. 

It  is  only,  however,  in  the  early  insidious  stage  that  the  flanks 
are  occasionally  quiet.  If  the  compressibility  of  the  lungs  is 
diminished  by  the  thickening  of  the  membrane,  or  the  engorge- 
ment of  the  vessels,  or  the  filling  of  the  cells,  it  will  be  harder 
work  to  force  the  air  out  ;  there  must  be  a  stronger  effort,  and 
that  pressure  which  camiot  be  accomplished  by  one  effort  is  at- 
tempted over  and  over  again.  The  respiration  is  quickened — 
laborious  ;  the  inspiration  is  lengthened  ;  the  expiration  is  rapid  ; 
and  when,  after  all,  the  lungs  cannot  be  compressed  by  the  usual 
means,  every  muscle  that  can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  part 
is  called  into  action.  Hence  the  horse  will  not  lie  down,  for  he 
can  use  the  muscles  of  the  spine  and  the  shoulder  with  most  ad- 
vantage as  he  stands  ;  hence,  too,  the  very  peculiar  stiffness  of 
position — the  disinclination  to  move.  The  horse  with  decided 
pneumonia  can  scarcely  be  induced  to  move  at  all ;  he  cannot 
spare  for  a  moment  the  assistance  which  he  derives  from  cer- 
tain muscles,  and  he  will  continue  obstinately  to  stand  until  he 
falls  exhausted  or  dying.  How  eagerly  does  the  veterinarian 
ask  when  he  goes  into  the  stable — "  Was  he  down  last  night  ?" 
And  he  concludes  that  much  progress  has  not  been  made  to- 
wards amendment  in  the  case  when  the  answer  is  in  the  nega- 
tive. When  the  patient,  wearied  out,  lies  down,  it  is  only  for 
a  moment ;  for  if  the  inflammation  is  not  subdued,  he  cannot  dis- 
pense with  the  auxiliary  muscles.  He  frequently,  and  with 
doleful  expression,  looks  at  his  sides — at  one  side  or  at  both, 
accordingly  as  one  or  both  are  involved.  There  is  not,  however, 
the  decidedly  haggard  countenance  of  bronchitis  ;  and  in  bron- 
chitis the  horse  rarely  or  never  gazes   at  his  flanks.     His  is  a 


188  INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    LUNGS. 

dread  of  sufTocation  more  than  a  feeling  of  pain.  The  head  is 
protruded,  and  the  nostrils  distended,  and  the  mouth  and  the 
breath  intensely  hot.  The  nose  is  injected  from  the  earliest  pe- 
riod ;  and  soon  afterwards  there  is  not  merely  injection,  but  the 
membrane  is  uniformly  and  intensely  red.  The  variation  in  this 
mtensity  is  anxiously  marked  by  the  observant  practitioner ;  and 
he  regards  with  fear  and  despair  the  livid  or  dirty  brownish  hue 
that  gradually  creeps  on. 

The  unfavorable  symptoms  are,  increased  coldness  of  the  ears 
and  feet,  if  that  be  possible  ;  partial  sweats,  grinding  of  the  teeth, 
evident  weakness,  staggering,  the  animal  not  lying  down.  The 
pulse  becomes  quicker,  and  weak  and  fluttering  ;  the  membrane 
of  the  nose  paler,  but  of  a  dirty  hue  ;  the  animal  growing  stupid, 
comatose.  At  length  he  falls,  but  he  gets  up  immediately.  For 
awhile  he  is  up  and  down  almost  every  minute,  until  he  is  no 
longer  able  to  rise  ;  he  struggles  severely  ;  he  piteously  groans  ; 
the  pulse  becomes  more  rapid,  fainter,  and  he  dies  of  sufibcation. 
The  disease  sometimes  runs  its  course  with  strange  rapidity.  A 
horse  has  been  destroyed  by  pure  pneumonia  in  twelve  hours 
The  vessels  ramifying  over  the  cells  have  yielded  to  the  fearful 
impulse  of  the  blood,  and  the  lungs  have  presented  one  mass  of 
congestion. 

The  favorable  symptoms  are,  the  return  of  a  little  warmth  to 
the  extremities — the  circulation  beginning  again  to  assume  its 
natural  character,  and,  next  to  this,  the  lying  down  quietly  and 
without  uneasiness  ;  showing  us  that  he  is  beginning  to  do  with- 
out the  auxiliary  muscles.  These  are  good  symptoms,  and  they 
will  rarely  deceive. 

Congestion  is  a  frequent  termination  of  pneumonia.  Not  only 
are  the  vessels  gorged — the  congestion  which  accompanies  com- 
mon inflammation — but  their  parietes  are  necessarily  so  thin,  in 
order  that  the  change  in  the  blood  may  take  place  although 
they  are  interposed,  that  they  are  easily  ruptured,  and  the  cells 
are  filled  with  blood.  This  effused  blood  soon  coagulates,  and 
the  lung,  when  cut  into,  presents  a  black,  softened,  pulpy  kind 
of  appearance,  termed  by  the  farrier  and  the  groom,  rottenness, 
and  being  supposed  by  them  to  indicate  an  old  disease.  It 
proves  only  the  violence  of  the  disease,  the  rupture  of  many  a 
vessel  surcharged  with  blood  ;  and  it  also  proves  that  the  disease 
is  of  recent  date,  for  in  no  great  length  of  time,  the  serous  por- 
tion of  the  blood  becomes  absorbed,  the  more  solid  one  becomes 
organized,  the  cells  are  obliterated,  and  the  lung  is  hepatized — 
i.  e.  assumes  the  appearance  of  livei'. 

In  every  case  of  pneumonia,  early  and  anxious  recourse  should 
be  had  to  auscultation.  Here,  again,  is  the  advantage  of  being 
perfectly  acquainted  with  the  deep  distant  murmur  presented  by 


INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    LUNGS.  189 

the  healthy  lung.  This  sound  is  most  distinct  in  the  young 
horse,  and  especially  if  he  is  a  little  out  of  condition.  On  such 
a  horse  the  tyro  should  commence  his  study  of  the  exploration  of 
the  chest.  There  he  Avill  make  himself  best  acquainted  with 
he  respiratory  murmur  in  its  full  state  of  development.  He 
should  next  take  an  older  and  somewhat  fatter  horse  ;  he  will 
there  recognize  the  same  sound,  but  fainter,  more  distant.  In 
still  older  animals,  there  will  sometimes  be  a  little  difficulty  in 
detecting  it  at  all.  Repeated  experiments  of  this  Idnd  will  grad- 
ually teach  the  examiner  what  kind  of  healthy  murmur  he  should 
expect  from  every  horse  that  is  presented  to  him,  and  thus  he 
will  be  better  enabled  to  appreciate  the  different  sounds  exhibited 
under  disease. 

If  pneumonia  exists  to  any  considerable  degree,  this  murmur 
is  soon  changed  for,  or  mingled  with,  a  curious  crepitating 
sound,  which  having  been  once  heard,  cannot  afterwards  be  mis- 
taken. It  is  caused  by  the  infiltration  of  blood  into  the  air-cells. 
Its  loudness  and  perfect  character  will  characterize  the  intensity 
of  the  disease,  and  the  portion  of  the  chest  at  which  it  can  be 
distinguished  will  indicate  its  extent. 

The  whole  lung,  however,  is  not  always  affected,  or  there  are 
only  portions  or  patches  of  it  in  which  the  inflammation  is  so 
intense  as  to  produce  congestion  and  hepatization.  Enough 
remains  either  unaffected,  or  yet  pervious  tor  the  function  of  res- 
piration to  be  performed,  and  the  animal  lingers  on,  or  per- 
haps recovers.  By  careful  examination  with  the  ear,  this  also 
may  be  ascertained.  Where  the  lung  is  impervious — where  no 
air  passes — no  sound  will  be  heard,  not  even  the  natural  mur- 
mur. Around  it  the  murmur  will  be  heard,  and  loudly.  It  will 
be  a  kind  of  rushing  sound  ;  for  the  same  quantity  of  blood  must 
be  arterialized,  and  the  air  must  pass  more  rapidly  and  forcibly 
through  the  remaining  tubes. 

A  horse  with  any  portion  of  the  lungs  hepatized  camiot  be 
sound.     He  cannot  be  capable  of  continued  extra  exertion. 

Another  consequence  of  inflammation  of  the  substance  of  the 
lungs  is  the  formation  of  tubercles.  A  greater  or  smaller  num- 
ber of  distinct  cysts  are  formed — cells  into  which  some  fluid  is 
poured  in  the  progress  of  uiflammation  :  these  vary  in  size  from 
a  pin's  point  to  a  large  egg.  By  degrees  the  fluid  becomes  con- 
crete or  hardened  ;  and  so  it  continues  for  a  while — the  conse- 
quence and  the  source  of  inflammation.  It  occupies  a  space  that 
should  be  employed  in  the  function  of  respiration,  and  by  its 
pressure  it  irritates  the  neighboring  parts,  and  exposes  them  to 
uiflammation. 

By  and  by,  however,  another  process,  never  sufficiently  ex 
plained,  commences.      The  tubercle  begins  to  soften  at  its  cen- 


190  INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    LUNGS. 

tre, — a  process  of  suppuration  is  set  up,  and  proceeds  until  the 
contents  of  the  cyst  become  again  fluid,  but  of  a  diflerent  char- 
acter, for  they  now  consist  of  pus.  The  pus  increases  ;  the  cyst 
becomes  more  and  more  distended  ;  it  encroaches  on  the  sub- 
stance of  the  lungs ;  it  comes  into  contact  with  other  tubercles, 
and  the  walls  opposed  to  each  other  are  absorbed  by  their  mu- 
tual pressure  ;  they  run  together,  and  form  one  cyst,  or  regular 
excavation,  and  this  sometimes  proceeds  until  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  lung  is,  as  it  were,  hollowed  out.  By  and  by, 
however,  the  vomica  (tumor)  presses  upon  some  bronchial  pas- 
sage ;  the  cyst  gives  way,  and  the  purulent  contents  are  poured 
into  the  bronchise,  and  got  rid  of  b}''  the  act  of"  coughing.  At 
other  times  the  quantity  is  too  great  to  be  thus  disposed  of,  and 
the  animal  is  sufibcated.  Occasionally  it  will  break  through  the 
pleuritic  covering  of  the  lung,  and  pour  its  contents  into  the 
thorax. 

Abscesses  may  exist  for  a  considerable  time  in  the  lungr 
undiscovered. 

The  resolution  or  gradual  abatement  of  inflammation  is  the 
tem  lination  most  to  be  desired  in  this  state  of  the  disease,  for 
then  the  engorgement  of  the  vessels  will  gradually  cease,  the 
eHusion  into  the  cells  be  absorbed,  and  the  lungs  will  gradually 
resume  their  former  cellular  texture,  yet  not  perfectly  ;  for  there 
will  be  some  induration,  slight  but  general ;  or  some  more  per- 
fect induration  of  certain  parts  ;  or  the  rupture  of  some  of  the 
air-cells  ;  or  an  irritability  of  membrane  predisposing  to  renewed 
inflammation.  The  horse  will  not  always  be  as  useful  as  before  ; 
there  will  be  chronic  cough,  thick  wind,  broken  wind. 

The  first  thing  to  do  in  pneumonia  is  to  bleed  until  the  pulse 
falters,  and  the  animal  bears  heavy  on  the  pail.  The  orifice  in 
the  vein  should  be  large,  that  the  blood  may  be  extracted  as 
quickly  as  possible.  This  is  the  secret  of  treating  the  inflam- 
mation of  a  vital  organ. 

Next  comes  purging,  if  we  dared  ;  but  experience  teaches  that 
in  pneumonia  there  is  such  a  fatal  tendency  in  the  inflammation 
to  spread  over  every  mucous  membrane,  that  purging  is  almo«t  to 
a  certainty  followed  by  inflammation,  and  that  inflammation  bids 
defiance  to  every  attempt  to  arrest  it.  It  may  be  said  with  per- 
fect confidence  that,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  a  physic-ball  would 
be  a  dose  of  poison  to  a  horse  laboring  under  pneumonia. 

May  we  not  relax  the  bowels  ?  Yes,  if  we  can  stop  there 
We  may,  after  the  inflammation  has  evidently  a  little  subsided, 
venture  upon,  yet  very  cautiously,  small  doses  of  aloes  in  our  fever 
medicine,  and  we  may  quicken  their  operation  by  frequent  injec- 
tions of  warm  soap  and  water ;  omitting  the  purgative,  however 
the  moment  the  faeces  are  becoming  softened.     We  must,  how- 


INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    LUNGS.  i9l 

<>ver,  be  assured  that  tlie  inflammation  is  subsiding,  and  there 
must  be  considerable  constipation,  or  the  purgative  had  better  be 
let  alone. 

If  we  must  not  give  physic,  we  must  endeavor  to  find  some 
other  auxiliary  to  the  bleeding,  and  we  have  it  in  the  compound 
of  digitalis,  nitre,  and  emetic  tartar,  which  has  been  so  often 
recommended. 

The  greatest  care  should  be  taken  of  the  patient  laboiing  undei 
this  complaint.  His  legs  should  be  well  hand-rubbed,  in  order  to 
restore,  if  possible,  the  circulation  to  the  extremities.  Comfort- 
able flannel  rollers  should  encase  the  legs  from  the  foot  to  the 
knee.  He  should  be  covered  up  warm.  There  cannot  be  a  doubt 
about  this.  As  for  air,  in  warm  weather  he  cannot  have  too 
much.  In  cold  weather,  his  box  must  be  airy,  but  not  chilly. 
We  want  to  determine  the  blood  to  the  extremities  and  the  skin 
but  not  all  the  clothing  in  the  world  will  keep  our  patient  warm 
if  he  is  placed  in  a  cold  and  uncomfortable  situation. 

As  for  food,  we  think  not  of  it.  In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  h.k 
will  not  touch  anj^hing  ;  or  if  he  is  inclined  to  eat,  we  give  him 
nothing  but  a  bran-mash,  or  a  little  green  feed,  or  a  few  carrots 

We  now  look  about  us  for  some  counter-irritant.  Therefore 
we  blister  the  sides  and  the  brisket,  and  produce  all  the  irritation 
we  can  on  the  skin ;  and  in  proportion  as  we  do  so,  we  abate,  or 
stand  a  chance  of  abating,  the  inflammation  within. 

We  have  recourse  to  a  blister  in  preference  to  a  seton  ;  and 
decidedly  so,  for  our  stimulus  can  be  spread  over  a  larger  surface, 
— there  is  more  chance  of  its  being  applied  to  the  imm.ediate 
neighborhood  of  the  original  inflammation — and,  most  assuredly, 
from  the  extent  of  surface  on  which  we  can  act,  we  can  employ 
a  quantity  of  stimulus  beyond  comparison  greater  than  a  seton 
would  permit  us  to  do.  Roicels  are  frequently  excellent  adju- 
vants (aids)  to  the  blister,  but  should  not  be  depended  upon  alone. 

In  the  latter  stage  of  disease  the  blister  will  not  act,  because 
the  powers  of  nature  are  exliausted.  We  must  repeat  it, — we 
must  rouse  the  sinking  energies  of  the  frame,  if  we  can,  although 
the  effort  will  generally  be  fruitless.  The  not  rising  of  a  blister, 
in  the  latter  stage  of  the  disease,  may,  too  often,  be  regarded  as 
the  precursor  of  death,  especially  if  it  is  accompanied  by  a  livid 
or  brown  color  of  the  membrane  of  the  nose. 

Pneumonia,  like  bronchitis,  requires  anxious  watching.  The 
first  object  is  to  subdue  the  inflammation,  and  our  measures  must 
be  prompt  and  decisive.  If  the  mouth  continues  hot,  and  the 
extremities  cold,  and  the  nose  red,  we  must  bleed  again  and  again, 
and  that  in  rapid  succession.  The  good  which  we  can  do  must 
be  done  at  first,  or  not  at  all. 

When  we  have  obtained  a  little  returning  warmth  to  the  ex- 


192  INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    LUNGS. 

treraities,  we  must  continue  to  adminisier  our  sedative  medicines 
without  one  grain  ol"  a  carminative  or  a  tonic  ;  and  the  return  of 
the  deathy-cold  foot  will  be  a  signal  for  farther  depletion. 
*  The  commencement  of  the  state  of  convalescence  requires  the 
same  guarded  practice,  as  in  bronchitis.  As  many  horses  arc  lost 
by  impatience  now,  as  by  want  of  decision  at  first.  If  we  have 
Bubdued  the  disease,  we  should  let  well  alone.  We  should  guard 
against  the  return  of  the  foe  by  the  continued  administration  of 
our  sedatives  in  smaller  quantities  ;  but  give  no  tonics  unless  de 
bility  is  rapidly  succeeding.  When  we  have  apparently  weath- 
ered the  storm,  we  must  still  be  cautious  ;  we  must  consider  the 
nature  and  the  seat  of  the  disease,  and  the  predisposition  to  re- 
turning inflammation.  If  the  season  will  permit,  two  or  three 
months'  run  at  grass  should  succeed  our  medical  treatment ;  but 
if  this  is  impracticable,  we  must  put  off  the  period  of  active  work 
as  long  as  it  can  be  delayed,  and  even  after  that  permit  the  horse 
to  return  as  gradually  as  may  be  to  his  usual  employment  and 
food.* 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — The  diseases  of  the  lungs  liave  been  recently 
carefully  investigated,  and  we  are  enabled  *•<■'  detect  three  important  vai-ie 
ties  in  the  inflammatory  affections  of  the  lungs  and  chest,  viz.,  congestive  iu- 
fiam-.nation  of  the  lungs,  or  pulmonary  apoplexy — piieuinonia,  or  true  inflam- 
mation of  the  lungs — and  pleurisy,  or  pleuritis.  The  first  consists  in  the 
distention  of  the  small  vessels  of  the  lungs  with  dark  venous  blood,  and  is 
generally  produced  by  over-exertion,  particularly  if  the  animal,  when  at 
tacked,  is  not  in  proper  condition  for  work.  The  symptoms  are  rapid  breath 
ing,  cold  extremities,  and  short  duration  of  the  disease,  ending  either  in  death 
or  recovery.  When  death  supervenes,  tlie  lungs  are  black,  as  stated  in  the 
text.  With  regard  to  treatment,  bleeding  should  be  adopted  if  the  pulse  is 
disthict  as  well  as  rapid ;  if  not,  a  diffusible  stimulant  should  first  be  given 
and  bleeding  should  follow. 

True  pneumonia  is  longer  in  its  duration,  but  the  symptoms  are  often  ob 
scure  at  first.  There  is  considerable  distress,  but  there  does  not  appear  to 
be  any  active  pain ;  and  in  this  respect  it  may  generally  be  distinguished 
from  pleurisy.  The  pulse  is  full,  strong,  and  rapid — pain,  sometimes  acute 
but  varying  from  time  to  time,  and  the  blood  presenting  a  considerable 
quantity  of  buff,  or  fibrine.  The  tendencies  of  the  disease  are  either  the 
deposition  of  water  in  the  chest,  or  else  fibrous  flakes,  and  sometimes  both 
conjoined. 

Sometimes  pneumonia  and  pleurisy  are  combined  together,  causing  pleuro- 
mieumonia,  and  then  the  danger  is  increased  at  the  same  time,  as  the  symp- 
toms are  rendered  more  obscure. 

Blood-letting  is  one  of  the  first  of  our  remedial  measures  for  these  dis- 
eases, but  is  called  for  in  a  more  marked  degree  in  pleurisy  than  in  pneu- 
nonia.  The  pulse,  however,  in  both  cases  must  be  our  guide  as  to  the  quan- 
tity to  be  taken  ;  and,  as  stated  in  the  text,  a  decided  effect  should  be  ob- 
tained. Repetition  of  bleeding,  too,  may  be  had  recourse  to  with  greater 
freedom,  in  pleurisy  than  in  pneumonia.  In  the  latter  disease,  we  must  take 
care  tnat  we  do  not  shipwreck  the  vital  powers  by  repeated  and  too  copious 
bleeding,  or  mistake  the  effects  produced  by  bleeding  for  the  symptoms 
of  the  disease  itself     It  is  only  by  the  conjoint  aids  of  science  and  experi 


"•HIl0^f'C    COUGH.  193 


OnROMC  COUGH. 


It  would  occupy  too  much  space  to  treat  all  the  causes  of  this 
obstinate  cough.  Irritability  of"  the  air-passages,  occasioned  by 
previous  inflammation,  is  the  most  ,frequent.  It  is  sometimes 
connected  with  worms  ;  it  is  sometimes  caused  by  glanders.  It 
is  the  necessary  attendant  of  thick  or  broken  wind. 

n  a  harsh  hollow  cough  is  accompanied  by  a  staring  coat,  and 
the  appearance  of  worms, — a  few  worm-balls  may  expel  the 
worms,  and  remove  the  irritation  of  the  intestinal  canal.  If  it  pro- 
ceeds 11  om  m-itability  of  the  air-passages,  which  will  be  discov- 
ered by  the  horse  coughing  after  drinking,  or  when  he  first  goes 
out  of  tne  stable  m  the  morning,  or  by  his  occasionally  snorting 
out  thicK  mucus  from  the  nose,  medicines  may  be  given,  and 
sometimes  with  advantage,  to  diminish  irritation  generally. 
Small  dosess  of  digitalis,  emetic  tartar,  and  nitre,  administered 
every  nignc,  frequently  have  a  beneficial  effect,  especially  when 
mixed  witn  car,  which  seems  to  have  a  powerful  influence  in 
allaying  tlie  irritation.  These  balls  should,  if  necessary,  be  reg- 
ularly given  lor  a  considerable  time.  They  are  sufficiently  pow 
erful  to  quiet  blight  excitement  of  this  kind,  but  not  to  nauseate 
the  horse,  or  interfere  with  his  food  or  his  work.  A  blister, 
extending  from  the  root  of  one  ear  to  that  of  the  other,  taking  in 
the  Avhole  of  ine  channel,  and  reaching  six  or  eight  inches  down 

ence  that  these  nice  discriminations  can  be  made;  it  is  therefore  the  height 
of  folly  for  the  infcxpeiienced  owner  to  attempt  to  treat  such  cases  himself. 

When  plemisy  ai.d  pneumonia  are  combined,  the  symptoms,  though  ex- 
tremely severe,  are  yet  very  obscure,  anrl  the  chances  of  successful  treatment 
are  much  diminished.  Tne  water  in  the  chest  spoken  of  in  the  text,  is  the 
termination  of  pleurisy,  aj.J  becomes  fatal  in  a  majority  of  cases  (particu- 
larly if,  in  addition  to  this  ^orous  fluid,  flakes  of  lymph  are  also  thrown  out). 
In  some  cases  where  water  in  the  chest  has  supervened  early,  and  the  inflam- 
mation has  otherwise  subsided,  relief  has  been  obtained  by  tapping. 

We  have  little  to  add  with  regard  to  the  treatment  of  these  inflamma- 
tory diseases,  except  that  we  do  not  approve  of  the  many  repeated  bleed- 
ings advised  in  the  text.  It  is  rarely  the  case  that  more  "than  one  bleeding 
is  desirable,  but  this  in  general  should  be  very  copious.  The  best  guide  as 
to  the  propriety  of  bleeding  is  the  strength  of  the  pulse  and  not  its  frequency. 
If  some  hours  after  the  first  bleeding  the  pulse  is  still  strong  and  full,  as 
well  as  quick,  then  bleeding  is  most  probably  called  for  again,  and  more 
particularly  if  the  blood  has  exhibited  a  thick  buffy  coat.  If  the  first  bleed- 
ing has  exhibited  no  buff  on  the  surface,  then  a  repetition  of  bleeiling  is 
rarely  demanded.  Aloes  should  he  always  eschewed,  and  diuretics  should 
not  be  continued  rifter  twelve  drachm^  or  two  ounces  of  nitre  or  resin  have 
been  taken.  We  have  also  found  very  good  effects  from  the  administration 
of  small  doses  of  calomel  and  opium,  twice  a  day,  two  scruples  of  the  for- 
mer, and  one  of  the  latter,  being  suflficient  for  a  dose ;  and  we  have  also 
found  an  ounce  or  two  of  the  spirit  of  nitrous  ether  very  serviceable  in  the 
early  stage  of  the  disease,  particularly  if  the  legs  and  ears  are  cold. 
19  T 


]\)-i  THICK-WIND. 

the  windpipe,  has  been  tried,  and  often  with  good  effect,  on  the 
supposition  that  the  irritation  may  exist  at  the  roots  of  the  tongue 
or  the  larynx.  The  bUster  has  sometimes  been  extended  through 
the  whole  course  of  the  windpipe,  until  it  enters  the  chest. 

Feeding  has  much  influence  on  this  complaint.  Too  much 
dry  feed,  and  especially  chalT,  increase  it.  It  is  aggravated 
when  the  horse  is  suffered  to  eat  his  litter ;  and  is  often  relieved 
when  spring  tares  are  given.      Carrots  afford  decided  relief. 

The  seat  of  the  disease,  however,  is  so  uncertam,  and  all  oui 
means  and  appliances  so  inefficacious,  and  the  cough  itself  so 
little  interfering,  and  sometimes  interfering  not  at  all  with  the 
health  of  the  animal,  that  it  i&  scarcely  worth  while  to  persevere 
in  any  mode  of  treatment  that  is  not  evidently  attended  with 
benefit. 

When  chronic  cough  chiefly  occurs  after  eating,  the  seat  of 
the  disease  is  evidently  in  the  substance  of  the  lungs.  In  the 
violent  effort  of  the  lungs  to  discharge  their  functions,  when 
laboring  under  congestion,  irritation  is  produced,  and  the  act  of 
coughing  is  the  consequence. *" 


THICK-WIND. 

When  treating  of  pneumonia,  it  was  observed,  that  not  only 
are  the  vessels  which  spread  over  the  delicate  membrane  of  the 
air-cells  gorged  with  blood,  but  they  are  sometimes  ruptured,  and 
the  cells  are  filled  with  blood.  The  black,  softened,  pulpy 
appearance  of  the  lungs  thus  produced,  has  been  adverted  to.  If 
the  horse  is  not  destroyed  by  this  injury  to  the  structure  of  the 
lungs,  the  serous  portion  of  the  effused  blood  is  absorbed,  and  the 
lung  becomes  organized  in  that  solid  form.  Its  appearance  and 
structure  then  much  resemble  that  of  a  liver,  and  it  is  said  to  be 
hepatizecl.  This  may  occur  in  patches,  or  it  may  involve  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  lung. 

If  a  portion  of  the  lung  is  thus  rendered  impervious,  the 
remainder  will  have  additional  work  to  perform.  The  same 
quantity  of  blood  must  be  supplied  with  air  ;  and  if  the  workmg 
part  of  the  machine  is  diminished,  it  must  move  with  great 
velocity  as  well  as  force — the  respiration  must  be  quicker  and 
more  laborious.  This  quick  and  labored  breathing  can  be  de- 
tected even  when  the  animal  is  at  rest ;  and  it  is  indicated 
plainly  enough  by  his  sad  distress  when  he  is  urged  to  unusual 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — Chronic  cough  is  generally  caused  by  long- con- 
tinued or  neglected  catarrh,  or  sore  throat.  One  of  the  best  renaedies  for  an 
obstinate  cough  that  bids  fair  to  become  chronic  is  a  seton  under  the  throat 
which  should  be  kept  in  seven  or  eight  weeks. 


THICK-WIND.  195 

or  continued  speed.  The  inspirations  and  the  expirations  are 
shorter,  as  well  as  more  violent ;  the  air  must  be  more  rapidly 
admitted,  and  more  thoroughly  pressed  out ;  and  this  is  accom- 
panied by  a  peculiar  sound  that  can  rarely  be  mistaken. 

The  inflammatory  stage  of  the  disease  having  passed,  the  horse 
is  restored  to  comparative  health,  but  in  a  thick-icinded  state. 
Auscultation  will  indicate  the  amount  of  the  hepatization,  and  it 
will  enable  us  to  distinguish  between  this  cause  of  thick-wind 
and  that  thickening  of  the  air-passages  which  sometimes  results 
from  bronchitis. 

Of  the  treatment,  little  can  be  said.  We  know  not  by  what 
means  we  can  excite  the  absorbents  to  take  up  the  sohd  organ- 
ized mass  of  hepatization,  or  restore  the  membrane  of  the  cells, 
and  the  minute  vessels  ramifying  over  them,  now  confounded 
and  lost.  We  have  a  somewhat  better  chance,  and  yet  not  much, 
in  removing  the  thickening  of  the  membrane,  for  counter-irritants, 
extensively  and  perseveringly  applied  to  the  external  parietes  of 
the  chest,  may  do  something.  If  thick- wind  immediately  fol- 
lowed bronchitis,  it  would  certainly  be  justifiable  practice  to  blis- 
ter the  brisket  and  sides,  and  that  repeatedly ;  and  to  administer 
purgatives,  if  we  dared,  or  diuretics,  more  effectual  than  the  pur- 
gatives, and  always  safe. 

Our  attention  must  be  principally  confined  to  diet  and  man- 
agement. A  thick- winded  horse  should  have  his  full  proportion, 
or  rather  more  than  liis  proportion  of  grain,  and  a  diminished 
quantity  of  less  nutritious  food,  in  order  that  the  stomach  may 
never  be  overloaded,  and  press  upon  the  diaphragm,  and  so  upon 
the  lungs,  and  increase  the  labor  of  these  already  over- worked 
organs.  Particular  care  should  be  taken  that  the  horse  is  not 
worked  immediately  after  a  full  meal.  The  overcoming  of  the 
pressure  and  weight  of  the  stomach,  will  be  a  serious  addition  to 
the  extra  work  which  the  lungs  already  have  to  perform  from 
their  altered  structure. . 

Thick-wind  may  be  to  some  extent  iKilliated  by  daily  exer 
cising  the  horse  to  the  fair  extent  of  liis  power,  and  without  seri- 
ously distressing  him. 

Thick-wind,  however,  is  not  always  the  consequence  of  disease. 
There  are  certain  cloddy,  round-chested  horses,  that  are  naturall) 
thick-winded,  at  least  to  a  certain  extent.  They  are  capable  of 
that  slow  exertion  for  which  nature  designed  them,  but  they  art 
immediately  distressed  if  put  a  little  out  of  their  usual  pace.  A 
circular  chest,  whether  the  horse  is  large  or  small,  indicates  thick 
wind. 


196  SROKEN-WIND. 


BROKEN-WIND* 


This  Is  immediately  recognizable  by  the  manner  of  breathing 
The  inspiration  is  performed  in  somewhat  less  than  the  natural 
time,  and  with  an  increased  degree  of  labor ;  but  the  expiration 
has  a  peculiar  difficulty  accompanying  it.  It  is  accomplished  by 
a  double  effort,  in  the  first  of  which,  as  Mr.  Blaine  has  well 
explained  it,  "  the  usual  muscles  operate  ;  and  in  the  other,  the 
auxiliary  muscles,  particularly  the  abdominal,  are  put  on  the 
sti'etch  to  complete  the  expulsion  more  perfectly  ;  and  that  being 
done,  the  flank  falls,  or  the  abdominal  muscles  relax  with  a 
kind  of  jerk  or  spasm." 

This  is  attributable  to  an  emphysematous  state  of  the  lungs. 
The  inner  membrane  of  the  bronchial  tubes  swells  and  partly 
obstructs  them.  The  powerful  muscles  of  inspiration,  however, 
overcome  that  obstruction,  and  fill  the  cells  of  the  lungs  with  air. 
But  there  are  no  such  muscles  to  aid  expiration — ^to  force  the  air 
out  again.  It  is  left  chiefly  to  the  elasticity  of  the  parts — suffi- 
cient when  the  bronchial  tubes  are  in  their  ordinary  unobstructed 
condition,  but  not  sufficient  when  they  are  so  obstructed  as  to 
retjuire  considerable  force  to  press  the  air  through  them.  Ac- 
cordingly the  air  remains  imprisoned  in  the  cells,  and  eveiy  suc- 
ceeding inspiration  introduces  more  air  into  them  until  they  are 
ruptured,  or  the  dilated  condition  becomes  permanent. 

Broken-wind  is  preceded  or  accompanied  by  cough — a  cough 
perfectly  characteristic,  and  by  which  the  horseman  would,  in  the 
daik,  detect  the  existence  of  the  disease.  It  is  short — seemingly 
cut  short — grunting,  and  followed  by  whepzing.  When  the  ani- 
mal is  suddenly  struck  or  threatened,  there  is  a  low  grunt  of  the 
same  nature  as  that  of  roaring,  but  not  so  loud.  Broken-wind  is 
usually  preceded  by  cough  ;  the  cough  becomes  chronic,  leads  on 
to  thick- wind,  and  then  there  is  but  a  step  to  broken- wind.  It  is 
the  consequence  of  the  cough  which  accompanies  catarrh  and 
bronchitis  oftener  than  that  attending  or  following  pneumonia  ; 
and  of  inflammation,  and  probably,  thickening  of  the  membrane 
of  the  bronchise,  rather  than  of  congestion  of  the  air-cells. 

A  troublesome  cough,  and  sometimes  of  long  continuance,  is 
the  foundation  of  the  disease,  or  indicates  that  irritable  state  of 
the  bronchial  membrane  with  which  broken-wi  rid  is  almost  neces- 
sarily associated.  Horses  that  are  greedy  feeders,  or  devour  large 
quantities  of  slightly  nutritious  food,  or  are  worked  with  a  stom- 
ach distended  by  this  food,  are  very  subject  to  broken- wind. 
3Iore  depends  upon  the  management  of  the  food  and  exercise  than 
is  generally  supposed.     The  post-horse,  the  coach-horse,  and  the 

*  Called  Heaves  in  the  United  States, 


BROKEN-WIND  197 

racer,  are  comparatively  seldom  broken- winded.  They  are  fed, 
at  stated  periods,  on  nutritious  food  that  lies  in  little  compass,  and 
their  hours  of  feeding  and  of  exertion  are  so  arranged  that  they 
seldom  work  on  a  full  stomach.  The  agricultural  horse  is  toe 
often  fed  on  the  very  refuse  of  the  farm,  and  his  hours  of  feeding, 
and  his  hours  of  work,  are  frequently  irregular  ;  and  the  carriage- 
horse,  although  fed  on  more  nutritious  food,  is  often  summoned 
to  work,  by  his  capricious  master,  the  moment  his  meal  is  de- 
voured. 

A  rapid  gallop  on  a  full  stomach  has  often  produced  broken- 
wind  ;  but  generally,  probably,  there  has  been  some  gradual  prep- 
aration for  the  result.  There  has  been  chronic  cough,  more  than 
usually  disturbed  respiration  after  exercise,  &c.  Galloping  after 
drinking  has  been  censured  as  a  cause  of  broken- wind,  but  it  is 
not  half  so  dangerous  as  galloping  with  a  stomach  distended  with 
food. 

It  is  said  that  broken-winded  horses  are  foul  feeders,  because 
they  devour  almost  everything  that  comes  in  their  way,  and  thus 
impede  the  play  ol'  the  lungs  ;  but  there  is  so  much  sympathy  be- 
tween the  respiratory  and  digestive  systems,  that  one  cannot  be 
much  deranged  without  the  other  evidently  suffering.  Flatu- 
lence, and  a  depraved  appetite,  may  be  the  consequence  as  well 
as  the  cause  of  broken-wnid  ;  and  there  is  no  pathological  fact  of 
more  frequent  occurrence  than  the  co-existence  of  indigestion  and 
flatulence  with  broken-wind. 

The  narrow-chested  horse  is  more  subject  to  broken- wind  than 
the  broader  and  deeper  chested  one,  for  there  is  not  so  much  room 
for  the  lungs  to  expand  when  rapid  progression  requires  the  full 
discharge  of  their  function. 

Is  broken- wind  hereditary  ?  We  believe  so.  It  may  be  re- 
ferred to  hereditary  conformation — to  a  narrower  chest,  and  more 
fragile  membrane — and  predisposition  to  take  on  those  inflamma- 
tor}^  diseases  which  end  in  broken-Avind  ;  and  the  circular  chest, 
which  cannot  enlarge  its  capacity  when  exertion  requires  it,  must 
render  both  thick  and  broken- wind  of  more  probable  occurrence. 

Is  there  any  cure  for  broken- wind  ?  None  I  No  medical  skill 
can  repair  the  broken-down  structure  of  the  lungs. 

If,  however,  we  cannot  cure,  we  may  in  some  degree  palliate 
broken-wnid  ;  and,  first  of  all,  we  must  attend  carefully  to  the 
feeding.  The  food  should  lie  in  little  compass — plenty  of  oat? 
and  little  hay,  but  no  c\  aff'.  Chafl^is  particularly  objectionable, 
from  the  rapidity  with  -v\  lich  it  is  devoured,  and  the  stomach  dis- 
tended Water  should  oe  given  in  moderate  quantities,  but  tlie 
horse  should  not  be  suffered  to  drink  as  much  as  he  likes  until  the 
day's  work  is  over.  G  reen  feed  will  always  be  serviceable.  Car- 
rui»  are  particularly  useful.      They  are  readily  digested,  and  ap- 


1.98  UllOKEiN-WlND. 

pear  to   have  a  peculiarly  beneficial  effect  on  the  respiratory 
system. 

Many  horses  become  broken-winded  even  in  the  straw-yard. 
Keepmg  the  stomach  constantly  distended  to  get  enough  nutriment 
from  such  poor  feed,  and  consequently  habitually  pressing  on  the 
lungs,  the  latter  are  easily  ruptured  when  the  horse  plays  with 
his  companions. 

The  pursive  or  broken-winded  horse  should  be  exercised  daily 
By  attention  to  this  and  to  his  feeding  he  may  be  rendered  com- 
fortable to  liimself,  and  no  great  nuisance  to  his  owner.  Occa- 
sional physic,  or  alterative  medicine,  will  often  give  considerable 
relief  where  the  broken- winded  animal  has  been  urged  unpre- 
pared, or  with  a  stomach  full  of  food,  on  a  journey,  and  is  suffer- 
ing the  consequences  of  it. 

Thick- wind  and  broken- wind  exist  in  various  degrees,  and  with 
many  shades  of  difference.     They  have  assumed  various  names. 

Pipers  make  a  shrill  noise  when  in  quick  action.  This  is  a 
species  of  roaring.  The  wheezer  utters  a  sound  not  unlike  that 
of  an  asthmatic  person  when  a  little  hurried.  This  can  be  heard 
even  when  the  horse  is  at  rest  in  the  stable.  The  ivhistler  utters 
a  shriller  sound  than  the  wheezer,  but  only  when  in  exercise,  and 
that  of  some  continuance.  A  sharp  gallop  up  hill  will  speedily 
detect  it.  It  is  a  great  nuisance  to  the  rider,  and  such  a  horse 
becomes  speedily  distressed. 

When  the  obstruction  seems  to  be  principally  in  the  nose,  the 
horse  loudly  puffs  and  blows,  and  the  nostrils  are  dilated  to  the 
utmost,  while  the  flanks  are  comparatively  quiet.  This  animal 
is  said  to  be  a  High-blower.^  With  all'  his  apparent  distress, 
he  often  possesses  great  speed  and  endurance.  The  sound  is  un- 
pleasant, but  the  lungs  may  be  perfectly  sound. 

Every  horse  violently  exercised  on  a  full  stomach,  or  when 
overloaded  with  fat,  will  grunt  almost  like  a  hog  ;  but  there  are 
some  horses  who  will  at  all  times  emit  it,  if  suddenly  touched  with 
the  wliip  or  spur.  They  are  called  Grunters,  and  should  be 
avoided.  It  is  the  consequence  of  previous  disease,  and  is  fre- 
quently followed  by  thick  or  broken- wind,  or  roaring. f 

*  Eclipse  (the  English  horse  of  that  name),  perhaps  as  good  a  horse  aa 
ever  run,  was  a  high-blower. — Am.  Ed. 

f  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — The  term  piper  is  applied  solely  to  a  broken- 
winded  horse,  and  not  to  any  variety  of  roar'  f.  The  terms  wheezing  and 
whistling  are  simply  varieties  of  roaring,  and  e<press  the  noise  made  in  the 
act  of  respiration.  [Mr.  Spooner's  description  )f  the  pathology  and  treat- 
ment of  broken- wind  offers  nothine  of  importance  that  is  not  found  in  the 
textl 


CONSUMPTION.  199 


PHTHISIS  PULMONALIS,  OR  CONSUMPTION. 

This  fatal  complaint  is  usually  connected  with,  or  the  conse- 
quence ot",  pneumonia  or  pleurisy,  and  especially  in  horses  of  a 
peculiar  formation  or  temperament. 

If  a  narrow-chested,  flat-sided  horse  is  attacked  by  inflamma- 
tion of  the  lungs,  or  severe  catarrhal  fever,  experience  tells  us 
that  we  shall  have  more  difficulty  in  subduing  the  disease  in  him, 
than  in  one  deeper  in  the  girth  or  rounder  in  the  chest. 

When  this  disease  has  been  properly  treated,  and  apparently 
subdued,  this  horse  cannot  be  quickly  and  summarily  dismissed  to 
his  work.  He  is  sadly  emaciated — he  long  continues  so — his  coat 
stares — his  skin  clings  to  his  ribs — his  belly  is  tucked  up,  notwith- 
standing that  he  may  have  plenty  of  mashes,  and  carrots,  and 
green  meat,  and  medicine — his  former  gaiety  and  spirit  do  not  re- 
turn, or  if  he  is  willing  to  work  he  is  easily  tired,  sweating  on  the 
least  exertion,  and  the  sweat  most  profuse  about  the  chest  and 
sides — his  appetite  is  not  restored,  or,  perhaps,  never  has  been 
good,  and  the  slightest  exertion  puts  him  completely  off  his  feet. 
"We  observe  him  more  attentively,  and,  even  as  he  stands  quiet 
in  his  stall,  the  flanks  heave  a  little  more  laboriously  than  they 
should  dp,  and  that  heaving  is  painfully  quickened  when  sudden 
exertion  is  required.  He  coughs  sorely,  and  discharges  from  the 
nose  a  mucus  tinged  with  blood,  or  a  fluid  decidedly  purulent — 
the  breath  becomes  offensive — the  pulse  is  always  above  40,  and 
strangely  increased  by  the  slightest  exertion. 

When  many  of  these  symptoms  are  developed,  the  animal  will 
exhibit  considerable  pain  on  being  gently  struck  on  some  part  of 
the  chest ;  the  cough  then  becomes  more  frequent  and  painful ; 
the  discharge  from  the  nose  more  abundant  and  fetid,  and  the 
emaciation  and  consequent  debihty  more  rapid,  until  death  closes 
the  scene. 

The  lesions  that  are  presented  after  death  are  very  uncertain 
Generally  there  are  tubercles ;  sometimes  very  minute,  at  other 
times  large  in  size.  They  are  in  different  states  of  softening,  and 
some  of  them  have  burst  into  the  bronchial  passages,  and  exhibit 
abscesses  of  enormous  bulk.  Other  portions  of  the  lungs  are 
shrunk,  flaccid,  indurated  or  hepatized,  and  of  a  pale  or  red-brown 
color ;  and  there  are  occasional  adhesions  between  the  lungs  and 
the  sides  of  the  chest. 

There  is  some  difficulty  in  deciding  whether  consumption  is 
hereditary  ;  but  those  conformations  which  lead  to  this  disease 
are  hereditary,  and  thus  far  the  disease  is. 

If  the  horse  is  not  very  bad,  and  it  is  spring  of  the  year,  a  run 
at  grass  may  be  tried.  But  the  apparent  amelioration  is  often 
transient. 


'/JOO  PLEURISY. 

The  medical  treatment,  if  any  is  tried,  will  depend  on  two  si 
pie  and  unerring  guides,  the  pulse  and  the  membrane  of  tW 
nose.  If  the  first  is  quick  and  hard,  and  the  second  streaked  with 
red,  bleeding  should  be  resorted  to,  Small  bleedings  of  one  ox 
two  quarts,  omitted  when  the  pulse  is  quieted  and  the  nostril  is 
pale,  may  be  effected.  Coiinter-irritanU  will  rarely  do  harm, 
rhey  should  be  applied  in  the  form  of  blisters,  extendnig  over  the 
sides,  and  thus  brought  as  near  as  possible  to  the  afiected  part. 
Sedative  'medicines  should  be  perseveringly  administered  :  and 
here,  as  in  acute  inflammation,  the  chief  dependence  will  be 
placed  on  digitalis.  It  should  be  given  in  small  doses  until  a 
slightly  intermittent  pulse  is  produced;  and  that  state  oi"  the  con- 
stitution should  be  maintained  by  a  continued  exhibition  of  the 
medicine.  Nitre  may  be  added  as  a  diuretic,  and  j^ulvis  anti- 
nionialis  as  a  diaphoretic. 

Any  tonics  here  ?  Yes,  the  tonic  effect  of  mild  and  nutritious 
food — green  food  of  almost  every  kind,  carrots  particularly, 
mashes,  and  now  and  then  a  malt  mash. 

But  anything  like  a  cure  in  confirmed  phthisis  is  out  of  the 
question,  and  all  the  practitioner  can  do  is  to  detect  the  dis- 
ease in  its  earliest  state,  and  alJay  the  irritation  which  causes  oi 
accompanies  the  growth  of  the  tubercles. 


PLEURISY. 

The  prevailing  causes  of  pleurisy  are  the  same  as  those  which 
produce  pneumonia — exposure  to  wet  and  cold,  sudden  altera- 
tions of  temperature,  partial  exposure  to  cold,  riding  against  a 
keen  wind,  immersion  as  high  as  the  chest  in  cold  water,  drink- 
ing cold  water,  and  extra  work  of  the  respiratory  machine.  To 
these  may  be  added,  wounds  penetrating  into  the  thorax  and  la- 
cerating the  pleura,  fracture  of  the  ribs,  or  violent  contusions  on 
the  side,  the  inflammation  produced  by  which  is  propagated 
through  the  parietes  of  the  chest. 

It  is  sometimes  confined  to  one  side,  or  to  one  of  the  pleura  on 
either  side,  or  even  to  patches  on  that  pleura,  whether  pulmonary 
(of  the  lungs),  or  costal  (of  the  ribs). 

The  first  symptom  is  rigor  (chill)  followed  by  increased  heat 
and  partial  sweats  :  to  these  succeed  loss  of  appetite  and  spirits, 
and  a  low  and  painful  cough.  The  hispiration  is  a  short,  sudden 
effort,  and  broken  off^  before  it  is  fully  accomplished,  indicating 
the  pain  felt  from  the  distention  of  the  irritable,  because  inflamed, 
membrane.  This  symptom  is  exceedingly  characteristic.  In  the 
human  being  it  is  well  expressed  by  the  term  stitch,  and  an  ex- 
Qeedingly  painful  feeling  it    is.     The  expiration  is  retarded  as 


PLEURISY.  201 

much  as  possible,  by  the  use  of  all  the  auxiliary  muscles  which 
the  animal  can  press  into  the  service ;  but  it  at  length  finishea 
abruptly  in  a  kind  of  spasm.  This  peculiarity  of  breathing,  once 
carefully  observed,  cannot  be  forgotten.  The  next  character  is 
found  in  the  tenderness  of  the  sides  vi^hen  the  costal  pleura  is 
affected.  This  tenderness  often  exists  to  a  degree  scarcely  credi- 
ble. If  the  side  is  pressed  upon,  the  horse  will  recede  with  a  low 
painful  grunt ;  he  will  tremble,  and  try  to  get  out  of  the  way 
before  the  hand  touches  him  again.  Then  comes  another  indi- 
cation, both  of  pain  and  the  region  of  that  pain, — the  intercos- 
tal muscles,  affected  by  the  contiguous  pleura,  and  in  their  turn 
affecting  the  subcutaneous  muscular  expansion  without — there 
are  twitchings  of  the  skin  on  the  side  — corrugations  (wrinldes) 
— waves  creeping  over  the  skin.  This  is  never  seen  in  pneumonia. 
There  is,  however,  as  we  may  expect,  the  same  disinclination  to 
move,  for  every  motion  must  give  intense  pain. 

The  pulse  should  be  anxiously  studied.  It  presents  a  decided 
difference  of  character  from  that  of  pneumonia.  It  is  increased 
in  rapidity,  but  instead  of  being  oppressed  and  sometimes  almost 
unappreciable,  as  in  pneumonia,  it  is  round,  full,  and  strong. 
Even  at  the  last,  when  the  strength  of  the  constitution  begins 
to  yield,  the  pulse  is  wiry,  although  small. 

The  extremities  are  never  deathly  cold ;  they  may  be  cool, 
they  are  oftener  variable,  and  they  sometimes  present  increased 
heat.  The  body  is  far  more  liable  to  variations  of  temperature  ; 
and  the  cold  and  the  hot  fit  more  frequently  succeed  each  other. 
The  mouth  is  not  so  hot  as  in  pneumonia,  and  the  breath  is 
rarely  above  its  usual  temperature. 

A  difference  of  character  in  the  two  diseases  is  here  particu- 
larly evident  on  the  membrane  of  the  nose.  Neither  the  crimson 
nor  the  purple  injection  of  pneumonia  is  seen  on  the  lining  of 
the  nose,  but  a  somewhat  darker,  dingier  hue. 

Both  the  pneumonic  and  pleuritic  horse  will  look  at  his  flanks, 
thus  pointing  out  the  seat  of  disease  and  pain  ;  but  the  horse  with 
pneumonia  will  turn  himself  more  slowly  round,  and  long  and 
steadfastly  gaze  at  his  side,  while  the  action  of  the  horse  with 
pleurisy  is  more  sudden,  agitated,  spasdomic.  The  countenance 
of  the  one  is  that  of  settled  distress  ;  the  other  brightens  up  occa- 
sionally. The  pang  is  severe,  but  it  is  transient,  and  there  are 
intervals  of  relief  While  neither  will  lie  down  or  willingly 
move,  and  the  pneumonic  horse  stands  fixed  as  a  statue,  the 
pleuritic  one  shrinks,  and  crouches  almost  to  falling.  If  he  lies 
down,  it  is  on  the  affected  side,  when  the  disease  is  confined  to 
one  side  only.  The  head  of  the  horse  with  inflammation  of  tlie 
substance  of  the  lungs,  hangs  heavily ;  that  of  the  other  is 
protruded. 


202  PLEUUISY. 

We  here  derive  most  important  assistance  from  Auscultation. 
In  a  case  of  pleurisy  we  have  no  crepitating,  crackhng  sound, 
referable  to  the  infiltration  of  the  blood  through  the  gassamer 
membrane  of  the  air-cells ;  we  have  not  even  a  louder  and  dis- 
tincter  murmur.  Perhaps  there  is  no  variation  from  the  sound 
of  health,  or,  if  there  is  any  difference  the  murmur  is  I'ainter ; 
for  the  pleural  membrane  is  thickened,  and  its  elasticity  is  im- 
paired, and  the  sound  is  not  so  readily  transmitted.  There  is 
sometimes  a  slight  rubbing  sound,  and  especially  towards  the 
superior  region  of  the  chest,  as  if  there  was  friction  between  the 
thickened  and  indurated  membranes. 

To  this  may  be  added  the  different  character  of  the  cough, 
sore  and  painful  enough  in  both,  but  in  pneumonia  generally  hard, 
and  full,  and  frequent.  In  pleurisy  it  is  not  so  frequent,  but  faint, 
suppressed,  cut  short,  and  rarely  attended  by  discharge  from  the 
nose. 

These  are  sufficient  guides  in  the  early  stage  of  the  disease, 
when  it  is  most  of  all  of  importance  to  distinguish  the  one  from 
the  other. 

If  after  a  few  days  the  breathing  becomes  a  little  more  natu- 
ral, the  inspiration  lengthened  and  regular,  and  the  expiration, 
although  still  prolonged,  is  suffered  to  be  completed — if  the 
twitchings  are  less  evident  and  less  frequent — if  the  cough  can 
be  fully  expressed — if  the  pulse  softens,  although  it  may  not  dimin- 
ish in  frequency,  and  if  the  animal  begins  to  lie  down,  or  walks 
about  of  his  own  accord,  there  is  hope  of  recovery.  But  if  the 
pulse  quickens,  and,  although  smaller,  yet  possesses  the  wiry  char- 
acter of  inflammation — if  the  gaze  at  the  flanks,  previously  by 
starts,  becomes  fixed  as  well  as  anxious,  and  the  difficulty  of 
breathing  continues  (the  difficulty  of  accomjMshing  it,  although 
the  efforts  are  oflener  repeated) — if  patches  of  sweat  break  out, 
and  the  animal  gets  restless — paws — shifts  his  posture  every 
mmute — is  unable  longer  to  stand,  yet  hesitates  whether  he 
shall  lie  down, — determines  on  it  again  and  again,  but  fears, 
and  at  length  drops,  rather  than  lies  gently  down,  a  fatal  termi- 
nation is  at  hand.  For  some  time  before  his  death  the  effusion 
and  its  extent  will  be  evident  enough.  He  not  only  walks  un 
willingly,  but  on  the  slightest  exercise  his  pulse  is  strangely 
accelerated  ;  the  feeling  of  suffocation  comes  over  him,  and  he 
stops  all  of  a  sudden,  and  looks  wildly  about  and  trembles ;  but 
he  quickly  recovers  himself  and  proceeds.  There  is  also,  when 
the  effusion  is  confirmed,  oedema  (swelling  from  a  dropsical  hu- 
w.yf)  of  some  external  part,  and  that  occasionally  to  a  very  great 
<5Aient.  This  is  oftenest  observed  in  the  abdomen,  thu  chest 
and  the  point  of  the  breast. 

The  immediate  cause    of  dea*^h  is  effusion  in  the  chest,  ooir 


PLEURISY.  203 

pressing  the  lungs  on  every  side,  rendering  expiration  difficult 
and  at  length  impossible,  and  destroying  the  animal  by  suiibca- 
tion.  The  very  commencement  of  eliusion  may  be  detected  by 
auscultation.  There  will  be  the  cessation  of  the  respiratory  mur- 
mur at  the  sternum,  and  the  increased  grating — not  the  crepitat- 
ing, crackling  noise  as  when  congestion  is  going  on — not  the 
feebler  murmur  as  congestion  advances ;  but  the  absence  of  it, 
beginning  from  the  bottom  of  the  chest. 

It  is  painfully  interesting  to  watch  the  progress  of  the  eiTu- 
Bion — how  the  stillness  creeps  up,  and  the  murmur  gets  louder 
above,  and  the  grating  sound  louder  too,  until  at  length  there 
is  no  longer  room  for  the  lungs  to  play,  and  suffocation  ensues. 

The  fluid  contained  in  the  chest  varies  in  quantity  as  well  as 
appearance  and  consistence.  Many  gallons  have  been  found  in 
the  two  sacs,  pale,  or  yellow,  or  bloody,  or  often  differing  in  the 
two  sides  of  the  thorax  ;  occasionally  a  thick  adventitious  coat 
covering  the  costal  or  the  pulmonary  pleura — rarely  much  adhe- 
sion, but  tht  lungs  purple-colored,  flaccid,  compressed,  not  one- 
fourth  of  the  r  usual  size,  immersed  in  the  fluid,  and  rendered 
incapable  of    xpanding  by  its  pressure. 

Here,  as  ii.  pneumonia,  the  bleeding  should  be  prompt  and 
copious.  Next,  and  of  great  importance,  aperient  medicine 
should  be  administered — that,  the  eflect  of  which  is  so  desirable, 
but  which  we  do  not  dare  to  give  when  the  mucous  membrane 
of  the  respirat  -ry  passages  is  the  seat  of  disease.  Here  w^e  have 
to  do  with  a  serous  membrane,  and  there  is  less  sympathy  with 
the  mucous  membranes  of  either  cavity.  Small  doses  of  aloes 
should  be  given  with  the  usual  fever  niedicine,  and  repeated 
morning  and  night  until  the  dung  becomes  pultaceous,  when  it 
will  always  be  prudent  to  stop.  The  sedative  medicine  is  that 
which  has  been  recommended  in  pneumonia,  and  in  the  same 
doses.  Next  should  follow  a  blister  on  the  chests  and  sides. 
It  is  far  preferable  to  setons,  for  it  can  be  brought  almost  into  con- 
tact with  the  inflamed  surface,  and  extended  over  the  whole  of 
that  surface.  An  airy,  but  a  comfortable  box,  is  likewise  even 
more  necessary  than  in  pneumonia,  and  the  practice  of  exposure, 
uncovered,  to  the  cold,  even  more  absurd  and  destructive.  The 
blood,  repelled  from  the  skin  by  the  contractile,  depressing 
influence  of  the  cold,  would  rush  with  fatal  impetus  to  the  neigh 
boring  membrane,  to  which  it  was  before  dangerously  deter 
mined.  Warm  and  comfortable  clothing  cannot  be  dispensed 
with  in  pleurisy. 

The  sedative  medicines,  however,  should  be  omitted  much 
sooner  than  in  pneumonia,  and  succeeded  by  diuretics.  The 
common  turpentine  :s  as  good  as  any,  made  into  a  ball  with 
linseed  meal,  and  given  in  doses  of  two  or  three  drachms  twice  in 


204  PLEURISY. 

the  day.  If  the  constitution  is  much  impaired,  tonics  may  be 
cautiously  given,  as  soon  as  the  violence  of  the  disease  is  abated. 
The  spirit  of  nitrous  ether  is  a  mild  stimulant  and  a  diuretic. 
Small  quantities  of  gentian  and  ginger  may  be  added,  but  the 
turpentine  must  not  be  omitted. 

By  auscultation  and  other  modes  of  examination,  the  existence 
f  water  in  the  chest  is  perhaps  ascertained,  and,  possibly,  it  is 
increasing.  Is  there  any  mechanical  way  of  getting  rid  of  it '' 
There  is  one  to  which  recourse  should  be  had  as  soon  as  it  is  evi- 
dent that  there  is  considerable  fluid  in  the  chest.  The  operation 
of  Paracentesis,  or  tapping,  should  be  performed ;  it  is  a  very 
simple  one.  The  side-line  may  be  had  recourse  to,  or  the  twitch 
alone  may  be  used.  One  of  the  horse's  legs  being  held  up,  and, 
counting  back  from  the  sternum  to  between  the  seventh  and 
eighth  ribs,  the  surgeon  should  pass  a  moderate-sized  trochar  into 
the  chest  immediately  above  the  cartilages.  He  will  not  have 
selected  the  lowest  situation,  but  as  near  it  as  he  could  with 
safety  select ;  for  there  would  not  have  been  roon  between  the 
cartilages  if  the  puncture  had  been  lower  ;  and  the-e  would  have 
been  injured  in  the  forcing  of  the  instrument  betv  een  them,  or, 
what  is  worse,  there  would  have  been  great  hazar(i  of  wounding 
the  pericardium,  for  the  apex  of  the  heart  rests  on  the  sternum. 
Through  this  aperture,  close  to  the  cartilages,  the  far  greater  part 
of  the  fluid  may  be  evacuated.  The  operator  "»vill  now  with- 
draw the  stilette,  and  let  the  fluid  run  through  tl  e  canula.  He 
will  not  trouble  himself  afterwards  about  the  vvound  ;  it  will 
heal  readily  enough  ;  perhaps  too  quick,  for,  <.'()uld  it  be  kept 
open  a  few  days,  it  might  act  as  a  very  useful  drain.  It  should 
he  attempted  early.  Recourse  should  be  had  to  the  operation  as 
soon  as  it  is  ascertained  that  there  is  considerable  fluid  in  the  chest, 
for  the  animal  will  at  least  be  relieved  for  a  while,  and  some 
time  will  have  been  given  for  repose  to  the  overlabored  lungs, 
and  for  the  system  generally  to  be  recruited.  The  fluid  will  bo 
evacuated  before  the  lungs  are  too  much  debilitated  by  laboriou<i 
action  against  the  pressure  of  the  water,  and  a  state  of  collapse 
brought  on,  from  which  they  will  be  incapable  of  recovering 
They  only  who  have  seen  the  collapsed  and  condensed  state  ol 
the  lung  that  had  been  long  compressed  by  the  fluid,  can  con 
ceive  of  the  extent  to  which  this  is  carried. 

Few  cases  of  tapping  have  been  permanently  successful,  buv 
the  leason  has  been  that  they  have  not  been  early  enough  re 
sorted  to. 

If  there  is  fluid  in  both  cavities  of  the  thorax,  but  one  side 
should  be  operated  on  at  once,  and  the  other  one,  the  succeeding 
day. 

There  is  in  pleurisy  a  far  greater  tendency  to  relapse  than  m 


PLEURISY.  205 

pneumonia.  Edematous  swellings,  coug-h,  disinclination  to  work, 
pleuritic  stitches,  which  might  easily  be  mistaken  for  colicky 
pains,  often  succeed  it. 

There  is  a  greater  disposition  to  metastasis  or  shifting  of  the 
seat  of  the  inflammatif  n,  than  in  pueumonia.  It  attacks  almost 
every  part.  Dropsy  is  the  most  frequent  change — effusion  in  the 
abdomen  is  substituted  for  effusion  in  the  chest  or  thorax. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE  ABDOMEN  AND  ITS  CONTENTS. 


THE  STOMACH. 
Fig.  21. 


a      The  oesophagus  or  gullet,  extending  to  the  stomach. 

b  The  entrance  of  the  gullet  into  the  stomach.  The  circular  layers  of  the  mu8 
cles  are  very  thick  and  strong,  and  which,  by  their  contractions,  help 
to  render  it  difficult  for  the  food  to  be  returned  or  vomited. 

c      The  portion  of  the  .stomach  which  is  covered  by  cuticle,  or  in.sensible  skin. 

d  d  The  margin,  vshich  separates  the  cuticular  from  the  villous  portion. 

e  e  The  mucous,  or  villous  (velvet)  portion  of  the  stomach,  in  which  the  food  ia 
principally  digested. 

f     The  communication  between  the  stomach  and  the  first  intestine. 

g  The  common  orifice  through  which  the  bile  and  the  secretion  from  the  pan- 
creas pass  into  the  first  intestine.  The  two  pins  mark  the  two  tubes 
here  united 

h.  A  smaller  orifice,  through  which  a  portion  of  the  secretion  of  the  pancrea«i 
enters  the  intestines. 

The  oesophagus  (gullet)  extends  from  the  mouth  down  the  left 
side  of  the  neck,  and  enters  the  stomach  in  a  somewhat  curvec' 


THE    STOMACH.  207 

direction.  It  is  so  constructed  at  its  entrance  into  the  stomach, 
that  a  return  of  the  food  by  vomiting  is  almost  impossible. 

The  stomach  of  the  horse  is  so  situated  that  it  must  be  dis- 
placed and  driven  back  by  every  contraction  of  the  diaphragm 
(midrifi')  or  act  of  inspiration ;  and  iii  proportion  to  the  fulness 
of  the  stomach  will  be  the  weight  to  be  overcome,  and  the  labor 
of  the  diaphragm,  and  the  exhaustion  of  the  animal.  Hence 
the  frequency  and  labor  of  the  breathing,  and  the  quickness  with 
which  such  a  horse  is  blo\\ai,  or  possibly  destroyed.  Hence  also 
the  folly  of  giving  too  full  a  meal,  or  too  much  water,  before  the 
horse  starts  on  a  journey  or  for  the  chase. 

The  stomach  has  four  coats.  The  outermost  is  the  lining  of 
the  cavity  of  the  belly,  and  the  common  covering  of  all  the 
intestines — that  by  which  they  are  confined  in  their  respective 
situations,  and  from  which  a  fluid  is  secreted  that  prevents  all 
friction  between  them.  This  is  called  the  peritoneum — that 
which  stretches  round  the  inside  of  the  stomach. 

The  second  is  the  muscular  coat,  consisting  of  two  layers  of 
fibres,  one  running  lengthways,  and  the  other  circularly,  and  by 
means  of  which  a  constant  gentle  motion  is  communicated  to  the 
stomach,  mingling  the  food  more  intimately  together,  and  pre- 
paring it  for  digestion,  and  by  the  pressure  of  which  the  food 
when  properly  prepared  is  urged  on  into  the  intestines. 

The  third,  or  cuticular  {sJcin-like)  coat,  c,  covers  but  a  portion 
of  the  inside  of  tha  stomach.  It  is  a  continuation  of  the  lining 
of  the  gullet.  There  are  numerous  glands  on  it,  which  secrete  a 
mucous  fluid  ;  and  it  is  probably  intended  to  be  a  reservoir  in 
which  a  portion  of  the  food  is  retained  for  a  while,  and  softened 
and  better  prepared  for  the  action  of  the  other  or  true  digestive 
portion  of  the  stomach.  The  cuticular  coat  occupies  nearly  one 
half  of  the  inside  of  the  stomach.       * 

The  fourth  coat  is  the  mucous  or  villous  (velvet)  coat,  e,  where 
the  work  of  digestion  properly  commences.  The  mouths  of  nu- 
merous little  vessels  open  upon  it,  pouring  out  a  peculiar  fluid, 
the  gastric  (stomach)  juice,  which  mixes  with  the  food  already 
softened,  and  converts  it  into  a  fluid  called  chyme.  As  this  is 
formed,  it  passes  out  of  the  other  orifice  of  the  stomach,  the  p>y^o- 
rus  (doorkeepers),/,  and  enters  the  first  small  intestine  ;  the  harder 
and  undissolved  parts  being  turned  back  to  undergo  farther  action. 

The  stomach  is  occasionally  subject  to  inflammation  and 
various  other  injuries. 

The  symptoms,  however,  are  obscure  and  frequently  mistaken. 
They  resemble  those  of  colic  more  than  anything  else,  and  should 
be  met  by  bleeding,  oily  purges,  mashes,  warm  gruel,  and  the 
application  of  the  stomach-pump  :  but  when,  in  addition  to  the 
colicky  pains,  there   appear  indistinctness  of  the  pulse — and  a 


208 


BOTS. 


very  characteristic  symptom  that  is — pallidness  of  the  mem- 
branes, coldness  of  the  mouth,  frequent  lying  down,  and  in  such 
position  that  the  weight  of  the  horse  may  rest  on  the  chest,  fre- 
quently pointing  with  his  muzzle  at  the  seat  of  pain,  and,  espe- 
cially, if  these  symptoms  are  accompanied  or  followed  by  vomit- 
ing, rupture  of  the  stomach  is  plainly  indicated.  The  horse 
does  not  necessarily  die  as  soon  as  this  accident  occurs.  In  a 
case  related  by  Mr.  Rogers,  the  animal  died  in  about  four 
hours  after  the  accident,  but  in  one  that  occurred  in  the  prac- 
tice of  the  author,  three  days  elapsed  between  the  probable 
rupture  of  the  stomach,  from  a  sudden  and  violent  fall,  and  the 
death  of  the  animal,  and  in  which  interval  he  several  times  ate 
a  little  food. 

Wisely  considering  the  shocks  and  dangers  to  which  it  is 
exposed,  the  stomach  is  extremely  insensible. 

BOTS. 

In  the  spring  and  early  part  of  the  summer,  horses  are 
much  troubled  by  a  grub  or  caterpillar,  which  crawls  out  of 
the  anus,  fastens  itself  under  the  tail,  and  seems  to  cause  a 
great  deal  of  itching  or  uneasiness.  Grooms  are  sometimes 
alaimed  at  the  appearance  of  these  insects.  Their  history  is 
curious,  and  will  dispel  every  fear  with  regard  to  them.  We 
are  indebeted  to  Mr.  Bracy  Clark  for  almost  all  we  know  of 
the  bot. 

Fig.  28. 


a  and  b  The  eggs  of  the  gad-fly,  adhering  to  the  hair  of  the  horse. 

c  The  appearance  of  the  bots  on  the  stomach,  firmly  adhering  by  their 
hooked  mouths.     The  marks  or  depressions  are  seen  which  are  left 
on  the  coat  of  the  stomach  when  the  bots  are  detached  from  their  hold 
d  The  bot  detached. 

e  The  female  of  the  gad-fly,  of  the  horse,  prepared  to  deposit  her  egga. 
/  The  gad-fly  by  which  the  red  bots  are  produced 
er  The  en- ."  -  •   or  r«^>d  hwt 


BOTS.  209 

A  species  of  gad-fly,  c,  the  oetrus  equi,  is  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  summer  exceediiig:ly  busy  about  the  horse.  It  is  observed 
to  be  darting  with  great  rapidity  towards  the  knees  and  sides  of 
the  animul.  The  females  are  deposithig  their  eggs  on  the  hair, 
and  wliich  adhere  to  it  by  means  of  a  glutinous  fluid  with 
which  they  are  surrounded  (a  and  b).  In  a  few  days  the  eggs 
are  ready  to  be  hatched,  and  the  slightest  application  of  warmth 
and  moisture  will  liberate  the  little  animals  which  they  contam. 
The  horse  in  hcking  himself  touches  the  Qgg  ;  it  bursts,  and  a 
small  worm  escapes,  which  adheres  to  the  tongue,  and  is  con- 
veyed with  the  food  into  the  stomach.  There  it  clings  to  the 
caticular  portion  of  the  stomach,  c,  by  means  of  a  hook  on 
either  side  of  its  mouth  ;  and  its  hold  is  so  firm  and  so  obstinate, 
that  it  must  be  broken  before  it  can  be  detached.  It  remains 
there  feeding  on  the  mucus  of  the  stomach  during  the  whole  of 
the  winter,  and  until  the  end  of  the  ensuing  spring ;  when, 
having  attained  a  considerable  size,  d,  and  being  destined  to 
undergo  a  certain  transformation,  it  disengages  itself  from  the 
cuticular  coat,  is  carried  into  the  villous  portion  of  the  stomach 
with  the  food,  passes  out  of  it  with  the  chyme,  and  is  evacuated 
with  the  dung. 

The  larva  or  maggot  seeks  shelter  in  the  ground,  and  buries 
Itself  there  ;  it  contracts  in  size,  and  becomes  a  chrysalis  or 
grub,  in  which  state  it  lies  inactive  for  a  few  weeks,  and  then, 
bursting  from  its  confinement,  assumes  the  form  of  a  fly.  The 
female,  becoming  impregnated,  quickly  deposits  her  eggs  on 
those  parts  of  the  horse  which  he  is  most  accustomed  to  lick, 
and  thus  the  species  is  perpetuated. 

There  are  several  plain  conclusions  to  be  drawn  from  this 
history.  The  bots  cannot,  while  they  inhabit  the  stomach  of  the 
horse,  give  the  animal  any  pain,  for  they  have  fastened  on  the 
cuticular  and  insensible  coat.  They  cannot  be  injurious  to  the 
horse,  for  he  enjoys  the  most  perfect  health  when  the  cuticular 
part  of  his  stomach  is  filled  with  them,  and  their  presence  is 
not  even  suspected  until  they  appear  at  the  anus.  They  cannot 
be  removed  by  medicine,  because  they  are  not  in  that  part  of 
the  stomach  to  which  medicine  is  usually  conveyed  ;  and  if  they 
were,  their  mouths  are  too  deeply  buried  in  the  mucus  for  any 
medicine,  that  can  be  safely  administered,  to  affect  them  ;  and, 
last  of  all,  in  due  course  of  time  they  detach  themselves,  and 
come  away.  Therefore,  the  wise  man  will  leave  them  to  them- 
selves, or  content  himself  with  picking  them  off  when  they  col- 
lect under  the  tail  and  annoy  the  animal. 

The  smaller  hot,  /  and  g",  is  not  so  frequently  found. 

Of  inflammation  of  the  stomach  of  the  horse,  except  from 
poisonous  herbs,  v  r  dmgs,  we  know  little.  It  rarely  occurs.  It 
U 


210 


THE    INTESTINES. 


can  witli  difficulty  be  distinguished  from  inflammation  of  the 
bowels  ;  and,  in  either  case,  the  assistance  of  the  veterinary  sur- 
geon is  required. 

Few  horses  are  destroyed  by  poisonous  plants  in  ou^  meadows 
Natural  instinct  teaches  the  animal  to  avoid  the  greater  part  of 
those  that  would  be  injurious. 

THE   INTESTINES. 

The  food  having  been  partially  digested  in  the  stomach,  and 
converted  mto  chyme,  passes  through  the  pyloric  or'^ce  into  the 
intestines. 

Fiff.  29. 


a  The  commencement  of  the  small  intestines.     The  ducts  which  convey  the 
bile  and  the  secretion  from  the  pancreas  are  seen  entering  a  little  below. 
b  b  The  convolutions  or  winding  of  the  small  intestines. 

c  A  portion  of  the  mesentery. 

d  The  small  intestines,  terminating  in  the  caecum. 

e  The  cajcum,  or  blind  gut,  with  the  bands  running  along  it,  puckering  and 
dividing  it  into  numerous  cells. 

/The  begiuuing  of  the  colon. 
q  g  The  continuation  and  expansion  of  the  colon,  divided,  like  the  caecum,  into 
cells. 

h  The  termination  of  the  colon  in  the  rectum. 

i  The  termination  of  the  rectum  at  the  anus. 

The  intestines  of  a  full-gro^vn  horse  are  not  less  than  ninety 
feet  in  length.  They  are  divided  into  the  small  and  large  intes- 
tines ;  the  former  of  which  occupy  about  sixty-six  feet,  and  the 
latter  twenty-four. 

The  intestines,  like  the  stomach,  are  composed  of  three  coats 
viz.,  the  peritoneum,  the  middle  coat,  and  the  mucous  or  villousj 
one  inside  of  the  others. 


THE    INTESTINES.  211 

The  inte&tines  are  chiefly  retained  in  their  relative  positions 
by  the  mesentery,  c,  (middle  of  the  intestines),  which  is  a 
doubling  of"  the  peritoneum,  including  each  intestine  in  its  folds, 
and  also  inclosing  in  its  duplicatures  the  arteries,  the  veins,  the 
nerves,  and  the  vessels  which  convey  the  nutriment  from  the 
intestines  to  the  circulation. 

The  first  of  the  small  intestines,  and  commencing  from  the 
right  extremity  of  the  stomach,  is  the  duodenum,  a.  It  is  the 
largest  and  shortest  of  all  the  small  intestines.  It  receives  the 
food  partially  converted  into  chyme  by  the  digestive  power  of 
the  stomach,  and  in  which  it  undergoes  another  and  very  im 
portant  change  ;  a  portion  of  it  being  converted  into  chyle.  It 
is  here  mixed  with  the  bile  and  the  secretion  from  the  pancreas 
which  enter  this  intestine  about  five  inches  from  its  commence- 
ment. The  bile  seems  to  be  the  principal  agent  in  this  change, 
for  no  sooner  does  it  mingle  with  the  chyme  than  that  fluid 
begins  to  be  separated  into  two  distinct  ingredients — a  white, 
thick  liquid  termed  chyle,  and  containing  the  nutr-tivj  part  of 
the  food,  and  a  yellow,  pulpy  substance,  the  imiutritive  portion, 
which,  when  the  chyle  is  all  pressed  from  it,  is  evacuated  through 
the  rectum. 

The  next  portion  of  the  small  intestines  is  the  Jejunum,  so 
called  because  it  is  generally  found  to  be  empty.  It  is  smaller 
in  bulk  and  paler  in  color  than  the  duodenum.  It  is  more 
loosely  confined  in  the  abdomen — floating  comparatively  unat- 
tached in  the  cavity  of  the  abdomen,  and  the  passage  of  the 
food  being  comparatively  rapid  through  it. 

There  is  no  separation  or  distinction  between  it  and  the  next 
intestine — the  Hewn.  Together  they  form  that  portion  of  the 
intestinal  tube  which  floats  in  the  umbilical  region  :  the  latter, 
however,  is  said  to  occupy  three-fifths,  and  the  former  two-fifths, 
of  this  portion  of  the  intestines,  and  the  five  would  contain  about 
eleven  gallons  of  fluid.  The  ileum  diminishes  in  size  as  it  ap- 
proaches the  larger  intestines. 

These  two  intestines  are  attached  to  the  spine  by  a  loose 
doubling  of  the  peritoneum,  and  float  freely  in  the  abdominal 
cavity. 

The  large  intestines  are  three  in  number  : — the  ccccum,  the 
colon,  and  the  rectum.  The  first  of  them  is  the  ccECum  (blind 
o-ut),  e, — it  has  but  one  opening  into  it,  and  consequently  every- 
thing that  passes  into  it,  having  reached  the  blind  or  closed  end. 
must  return,  in  order  to  escape.  It  is  not  a  continuation  of  the 
ileum,  but  the  ileum  pierces  the  head  of  it,  as  it  were,  at  right 
angles,  {d)  and  projects  some  way  into  it,  and  has  a  valve — the 
valvula  coli — at  its  extremity,  so  that  what  has  traversed  trie 
ileum   and  entered  the  head  of  the  colon,  cannot  return  into  the 


212 


THE    INTESTINES. 


ileum.     Along  the  outside  of  tlie  caecum  run  three  strong  bands, 
each  of  them  shorter  than  that  mtestiiie,  and  thus  puckering  it 


Fig.  30. 


up,  and  ibrming  it  into  three 
sets  of  cells,  as  shown  m  the 
accompanying  side  cut. 

That  portion  of  the  food 
which  has  not  been  taken  up 
by  the  lacteals  or  alsorbent 
vessels  of  the  small  intestines, 
passes  through  this  valvulai 
opening  of  the  ileum,  and  a 
part  of  it  enters  the  colon, 
while  the  remainder  flows 
into  the  caecum.  Then,  from 
this  being  a  blind  pouch,  and 
from  the  cellular  structure  of 
this  pouch,  the  food  must  be 
detained  in  it  a  very  long  time  ;  and  in  order  that,  during  this 
detention,  all  the  nutriment  maybe  extracted,  the  caecum  and  its 
cells  are  largely  supphed  with  blood-vessels  and  absorbents.  It  is 
principally  the  fluid  part  ol"  the  food  that  seems  to  enter  the  caecum. 
A  horse  will  drink  at  one  time  a  great  deal  more  than  his  stomach 
will  contain  ;  or  even  if  he  drinks  a  less  quantity,  it  remains  not 
m  the  stomach  or  small  intestines,  but  passes  on  to  the  CEecum, 
and  there  is  retained,  as  in  a  reservoir,  to  supply  the  wants 
of  the  system.     The  caecum  will  hold  four  gallons. 

The  colo7i  is  an  intestine  of  exceedingly  large  dimensions,  and 
is  capable  of  containing  no  less  than  twelve  gallons  of  liquid  or 
pulpy  food.  It  has  likewise,  in  the  greater  part  of  its  course, 
three  bands  like  the  caecum,  which  also  divide  it,  internally,  into 
the  same  description  of  cells.  The  intention  of  this  is  evident, — 
to  retard  the  progress  of  the  food,  and  to  give  a  more  extensive 
surface  on  which  the  vessels  of  the  lacteals  may  open  ;  and 
therefore,  in  the  colon,  all  the  chyle  is  finally  separated  and 
taken  up.  The  food  does  not  require  to  be  much  longer  detained, 
and  the  mechafiism  for  detaining  it  is  gradually  disappearing. 
The  colon,  also,  once  more  contracts  in  size,  and  the  chyle  hav- 
ing been  all  absorbed,  the  remaining  mass,  being  of  a  harder 
consistence,  is  moulded  into  pellets  or  balls  in  its  passage  through 
these  shallower  cells. 

At  the  termination  of  the  colon,  the  rectntn  (straight  gut) 
commences.  It  is  smaller  in  circumference  and  capacity  than 
the  colon,  although  it  will  contain  at  least  three  gallons  of  water. 
It  serves  as  a  reservoir  for  the  dung  until  it  is  evacuated  The 
faeces  descend  to  the  rectum,  which  somewhat  enlarges  to  receive 
tJiem  ;  and  when  they  have  accumulated  to  a  certain  extent  the 


THE  LTVER PANCREAS SPLEEN OMENTUM.       212 

Animal,  by  the  aid  of  the  diaphragm  and  the  muscles  of  the 
belly,  presses  upon  them,  and  they  are  evacuated.  A  curious 
circular  muscle,  and  always  in  action,  called  the  sphincter  (con- 
strictor muscle),  is  placed  at  the  anus,  to  prevent  the  constant 
and  unpleasant  dropping  of  the  fseces,  (dung)  and  to  retain  them 
until  the  horse  is  disposed  voluntarily  to  expel  them. 

THE  LIVER. 

Between  the  stomach  and  the  diaphragm — its  right  lobe  or 
division  in  contact  with  the  diaphragm,  the  duodenum  and  the 
right  kidney,  and  the  middle  and  left  divisions  with  the  stomach 
— is  the  liver.  It  is  an  irregularly-shaped,  reddish-brown  sub- 
stance, of  considerable  bulk,  and  performs  a  very  singular  and 
important  office. 

The  blood  brought  back  by  the  veins  from  the  stomach,  intes- 
tines, spleen,  pancreas,  and  mesentery,  instead  of  flowing  directly 
to  the  heart,  pass  first  through  the  liver.  As  the  blood  traverses 
this  organ,  the  bile  is  separated  from  it,  and  discharged  through 
the  hepatic  duct  directly  into  the  duodenum,  without  the  inter- 
vention of  any  gall-bladder,  as  is  found  in  most  animals.  The 
bile  is  probably  a  kind  of  excrement,  the  continuance  of  which 
in  the  blood  would  be  injurious,  and  it  doubtless  aids  in  the  pro- 
cess of  digestion. 

THE  PANCREAS. 

In  the  domestic  animals  which  are  used  for  food,  this  organ  is 
called  the  siveet-bread.  It  lies  between  the  stomach  and  left 
kidney.  It  secretes  a  fluid  which  is  carried  into  the  intestines 
by  a  duct  which  enters  at  the  same  aperture  with  that  from  the 
liver.  The  specific  use  of  this  fluid  is  unknown,  but  is  clearly 
employed  in  aiding  the  process  of  digestion. 

THE  SPLEEN. 

This  organ,  often  called  the  melt,  is  a  long,  bluish-brown  sub- 
stance, broad  and  thick  at  one  end,  and  tapering  at  the  other  ; 
lying  along  the  left  side  of  the  stomach,  and  between  it  and  the 
short  ribs.  The  particular  use  of  this  organ  has  never  been 
clearly  ascertained,  for  in  some  cruel  experiments  it  has  been 
removed  without  apparent  injury  to  digestion  or  any  other  func- 
tion. 

THE  OMENTUM. 

Or  cawl,  is  a  doubling  of  the  peritoneum,  or  rather  consists  oi 


214  THE    OMENTUM. 

four  layers  of  it.  It  has  been  supposed  to  have  been  placed  be- 
tween the  intestines  and  the  walls  of  the  belly,  in  order  to 
prevent  concussion  and  injury  during  the  rapid  movement  of 
the  animal.  That,  however,  cannot  be  its  principal  use  in  the 
horse,  from  whom  the  most  rapid  movements  are  required ;  for 
in  him  it  is  unusually  short,  extending  only  to  the  pancreas  and 
a  small  portion  of  the  colon.  Being,  however,  thus  short,  the 
horse  is  exempt  from  a  very  troublesome,  and  occasionally,  fatal 
6pecies  of  rupture,  when  a  portion  of  the  omentum  penetrates 
through  some  accidental  opening  in  the  covering  of  the  belly. 


'     CHAPTER  L 


THE    DISEASES    OF    THE    INTESTINES. 

These  form  a  very  important  and  mysterious  class  of  ailments. 
They  will  be  considered  in  the  order  in  which  the  various  con- 
tents of  the  abdomen  have  been  described. 


THE  DUODENUM. 

This  intestine  is  subject  to  many  more  diseases  than  are  m- 
cluded  in  the  present  imperfect  veterinary  nosology.  The  pas- 
sage of  the  food  through  it  has  been  impeded  by  stricture.  The 
symptoms  resemble  those  of  colic  and  end  in  death.  It  has  been 
perforated  by  bots,  which  have  escaped  into  the  abdomen,  caus- 
'ng  death. 

The  diseases  of  the  jejunum  and  the  ileum  consist  either  of 
^,pasmodic  affection  or  inflammation. 

SPASMODIC  COLIC. 

The  passage  of  the  food  through  the  intestinal  canal  is  effected 
by  the  alternate  contraction  and  relaxation  of  the  muscular  coat 
of  the  intestines.  When  that  action  is  simply  increased  through 
the  whole  of  the  canal,  the  food  passes  more  rapidly,  and  purg- 
ing is  produced  ;  but  the  muscles  of  every  part  of  the  frame  are 
liable  to  irregular  and  spasmodic  action,  and  the  muscular  coat 
of  some  portion  of  the  intestines  may  be  thus  afiected.  The 
spasm  may  be  confined  to  a  very  small  part  of  the  canal.  The 
gut  has  been  found,  after  death,  strangely  contracted  in  various 
places,  but  the  contraction  not  exceeding  five  or  six  inches  in 
any  of  them.  In  the  horse,  the  ileum  is  the  usual  seat  of  this 
disease.  It  is  of  much  importance  to  distinguish  between  spas- 
modic colic  and  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  for  the  symptoms 
have  considerable  resemblance,  although  the  mode  of  treatment 
should  be  very  different. 

The   attack  of  colic  xs  usually  very  sudden.      There  is  often 


216  SPASMODIC    COLIC. 

not  the  slightest  warning.  The  horse  begins  to  shift  his  posture, 
look  round  at  his  flanks,  paw  violently,  strike  his  belly  with  his 
feet,  and  crouch  in  a  peculiar  manner,  advancing  his  hind  limbs 
under  him  ;  he  will  then  suddenly  lie,  or  rather  fall  down,  and 
balance  himself  upon  his  back,  with  his  feet  resting  on  his  belly. 
The  pain  now  seems  to  cease  for  a  little  while,  and  he  gets  up, 
and  shakes  himself,  and  begins  to  feed  ;  the  respite,  however,  is 
but  short — the  spasm  returns  more  violently — every  indication  oi 
pain  is  increased — he  heaves  at  the  flanks,  breaks  out  into  a  pro- 
fuse perspiration,  and  throws  himself  more  recklessly  about.  In 
the  space  of  an  hour  or  two,  either  the  spasms  begin  to  relax, 
and  the  remissions  are  of  longer  duration,  or  the  torture  is  aug- 
mented at  every  paroxysm  ;  tlie  intervals  of  ease  are  fewer  and 
less  marked,  and  inflammation  and  death  supervene.  The  pulse 
is  but  little  afi'ected  at  the  commencement,  but  it  soon  becomes 
frequent  and  contracted,  and  at  length  is  scarcely  tangible. 

It  will  presently  be  seen  that  many  of  the  symptoms  very 
closely  resemble  those  of  inflammation  of  the  mucous  membrane 
of  the  bowels  :  it  may  therefore  be  useful  to  point  out  the  lead- 
ing distinctions  between  them. 

COLIC.  INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  BOWELS. 

Sudden  in  its  attack.  Gradual  in  its  approach,  -with  pre- 
vious indications  of  fever. 

Pulse  rarely  much  quickened  in  Pulse  very  much  quickened,  but 

the  early  period  of  the  disease,  and  small,  and  often  scarcely  to  be  felt, 
during   the    intervals   of  ease;   but 
evidently  fuller. 

Legs  and  ears  of  the  natural  tern-  Legs  and  ears  coM. 
perature. 

ReUef  obtained  from  rubbing  the  Belly  exceedingly  tender  and  pam- 

belly.  ful  to  the  touch. 

Relief  obtained  from  motion.  Motion   evidently   increasing    the 

pain. 

Int<?rvals  of  rest.  Constant  pain. 

Strength  scarcely  affected.  Rapid  and  great  weakness. 

Among  the  causes  of  colic  are,  the  drinking  of  cold  water 
when  the  horse  is  heated.  There  is  not  a  surer  origin  of  violent 
spasm  than  this.  Hard  water  is  veiy  apt  to  produce  this  effect. 
Colic  will  sometimes  follow  the  exposure  of  a  horse  to  the  cold 
air  or  a  cold  wind  after  strong  exercise.  Green  feed,  although, 
generally  speaking,  most  beneficial  to  the  horse,  yet,  given  in  too 
large  a  quantity,  or  when  he  is  hot,  will  frequently  produce 
gripes.  Doses  of  aloes,  both  large  and  small,  are  not  uniVequent 
causes  of  colic.  In  some  horses  there  seems  to  be  a  constitu 
tional  predisposition  to  colic.  They  cannot  be  hardly  worked, 
or  exposed  to  unusual  cold,  without  a  fit  of  it.  In  many  cases, 
when  these  horses  have  died,  calculi  have  been  found  in  some 


SPASMODIC    COLIC.  217 

part  of  the  alimentary  canal.  Habitual  costiveness  and  the 
presence  of  calculi  are  frequent  causes  of  spasmodic  colic.  The 
seat  of  colic  is  occasionally  the  duodenum,  but  oflener  the  ileum 
or  the  jejunum  ;  sometimes,  however,  both  the  cjECum  and  colon 
are  affected. 

Fortunately  we  are  acquainted  with  several  medicines  that 
allay  these  spasms  ;  and  the  disease  often  ceases  almost  as  sud- 
denly as  it  appeared.  Turpentine  is  one  of  the  most  powerful 
remedies,  especially  in  union  with  opium,  and  in  good  warm  ale. 
The  account  that  has  just  been  given  of  the  ca3cum  will  not  be 
forgotten  here.  A  solution  of  aloes  will  be  advantageously  added 
to  the  turpentine  and  opium. 

If  reliei"  is  not  obtained  in  half  an  hour,  it  will  be  prudent  t(i 
bleed,  for  the  continuance  of  violent  spasm  may  produce  inflam- 
mation. Some  practitioners  bleed  at  first,  and  it  is  far  from  bad 
practice  ;  for  although  the  majority  of  cases  will  yield  to  turpen- 
tine, opium,  and  aloes,  an  early  bleeding  may  occasionally  pre- 
vent the  recurrence  of  inflammation,  or  at  least  mitigate  it.  If 
it  is  clearly  a  case  of  colic,  half  of  the  first  dose  may  be  repeated, 
with  aloes  dissolved  in  warm  water.  The  stimulus  produced  on 
the  inner  surface  of  the  bowels  by  the  purgative  may  counteract 
the  irritation  that  caused  the  spasm.  The  belly  should  be  well 
rubbed  with  a  brush  or  warm  cloth,  but  not  bruised  and  injured 
by  the  broom-handle  rubbed  over  it,  with  all  their  strength,  by 
two  ofieat  fellows.  The  horse  should  be  walked  about,  or  trotted 
moderately.  The  motion  thus  produced  in  the  bowels,  and  the 
tiiction  of  one  intestine  over  the  other,  may  relax  the  spasm,  but 
the  hasty  gallop  might  speedily  cause  inflammation  to  succeed 
to  colic.  Clysters  of  warm  water,  or  containing  a  solution  of 
9 Joes,  should  be  injected.  The  patent  syringe  will  here  be  ex- 
ceedingly useful.  A  clyster  of  tobacco-smoke  may  be  thrown  up 
•as  a  last  resort. 

When  relief  has  been  obtained,  the  clothing  of  the  horse,  satu- 
rated with  perspiration,  should  be  removed,  and  fresh  and  dry 
clothes  substituted.  He  should  be  well  littered  down  in  a  warm 
stable  or  box,  and  have  bran  mashes  and  lukewarm  water  for  the 
next  two  or  three  days. 

Some  persons  give  gin,  or  gin  and  pepper,  or  even  spirit  of  pi- 
mento, in  cases  of  gripes.  This  course  of  proceeding  is,  however, 
exceedingly  objectionable.  It  may  be  useful,  or  even  sufficient 
in  ordinary  cases  of  colic  ;  but  if  there  should  be  any  inflamma 
tion.,  or  tendency  to  inflammation,  it  caimot  fail  to  be  highly  in- 
jurious. =^ 


*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — It  is  very  important  to  discriminate  accurately 
between  colic  and  inflammation  of  the  bowels.    The  principal  distinctive 

J 


118  FLATULENT    COLiC. 


FLATULENT  COLIC. 


This  is  altoofetlier  a  different  disease  from  the  former.  It  is 
not  spasm  of  the  bowels,  but  inflation  of  them  from  the  presence 
of  gas  emitted  by  undigested  food.  Whether  collected  in  the 
Btomach,  or  small  or  large  intestines,  all  kinds  of  vegetable  mat- 
ter are  liable  to  ferment.  In  consequence  of  this  fermentation, 
gas  is  evolved  to  a  greater  or  less  extent — perhaps  to  twenty  or 

symptoms  are  these :  in  colic,  although  the  pain  is  excessive,  there  are  yet 
occasional  remissions  of  tlie  paroxysms  ;  whilst  in  inflammation  of  the  bow- 
els, the  agony  continues  without  remission,  but  varying  in  severity  according 
to  the  violence  of  the  disease.  The  pulse,  too,  in  the  latter  disease  is  rapid, 
and  often  small  and  thready ;  whilst  in  the  former,  though  it  becomes  more 
rapid  during  the  paroxysms,  it  subsides  during  the  intervals  of  ease.  A 
careful  examination  of  these  distinctions  will  generally  be  sufficient  to  pre 
vent  any  mistake  with  regard  to  the  character  of  the  disease.  Indeed,  we 
must  not  rely  on  any  others. 

There  appears  to  be  three  varieties  of  colic,  spasmodic,  flatulent,  and  ster- 
coral, or  that  which  proceeds  from  constipation  or  obstruction  in  the  bowels, 
The  symptoms  vary  with  the  situation  of  the  disease — whether  in  the  siom 
ach,  the  small,  or  the  large  intestines.  Flat  ulent  colic  generally  affects  either 
the  stomach  or  the  large  intestines.  When  the  former,  it  is  extremely  dan- 
gerous, and  yet  is  relieved  with  greater  rapidity  than  when  elsewhere  ex- 
isting. In  a  case  that  proved  fatal  before  any  remedy  was  resorted  to,  the 
stomach  was  found  by  the  present  writer  distended  to  three  times  its  ordi- 
nary size.  Flatulent  may  be  distinguished  from  spasmodic  colic  principally 
by  the  great  distention  of  the  abdomen  which  tf^kes  place ;  whilst  stercoi-al 
colic  is  marked  by  the  less  violent,  though  more  obstinate,  continuance  of  the 
symptoms  of  pain.  ^ 

For  flatulent  colic  one  of  the  best  remedies  is  sulphuric  ether,  combined 
with  the  tincture  of  opium,  and  even  in  other  cases  it  is  preferable  to  the 
spirits  of  turpentine,  which  is  apt  to  irritate  and  inflame  the  throat  whilst 
being  administered,  and  the  bowels  likewise,  if  there  is  any  accession  of  in- 
flammation. If  relief  is  not  obtained  in  the  course  of  an  hour,  bleeding 
should  be  resorted  to;  and,  if  constipation  is  present,  a  watery  infusion  of 
aloes,  or  a  dose  of  oil,  should  be  given  with  the  antispasmodic.  In  stercoral 
colic,  dependence  must  be  placed  on  relieving  tlie  ob-truction,  and  at  the 
same  time  keeping  down  pain  and  irritation  by  means  of  an  opiate.  For 
these  purposes  large  doses  of  linseed  oil,  such  as  a  pint  three  times  a  day, 
with  an  ounce  of  tlie  tincture  of  opium,  should  be  given  until  the  desired/ib- 
ject  is  attained.  It  is  better,  however,  after  the  exhibition  of  a  few  doses,  to 
substitute  the  watery  infusion  of  opium  for  the  spirit,  as  htftwg  less  likely  to 
produce  inflammation.  By  steadily  pursuing  this  system  of  treatment,  we 
have,  in  many  of  the  most  obstinate  and  formidable  cases,  succeeded  in  es- 
tablishing a  cure.  Other  means,  however,  such  as  repeated  and  copious  in- 
jections, "should  be  had  recourse  to  in  addition ;  and,  as  soon  as  the  bowels 
become  relaxed,  means  should  be  used  to  counteract  the  excessive  purgation 
which  follows,  which,  if  effected  by  ordinary  medicines,  would  be  exceed 
ngly  dangerous,  but  when  produced  by  means  of  linseed  oil,  is  compara- 
tively without  danger.  Drenches  of  thick  flour  gruel  should  be  given ;  with 
two  ounces  of  prepared  chalk,  and  two  drachms  of  tincture  of  opium,  to  stay 
the  bowels. 


flatul^:nt  colic.  219 

thirty  times  the  hulk  of  the  food.  This  may  take  place  in  the 
stomnch  ;  and  if  so,  the  life  of  the  horse  is  in  immediate  danger,  for, 
as  will  plainly  appear  from  the  account  that  has  been  given  of  the 
CBSophagus  and  upper  orifice  of  the  stomach,  the  animal  has  no  pow- 
er to  expel  this  dangerous  flatus  (wind)  by  eructation  (belching.) 
This  extrication  of  gas  usually  takes  place  in  the  colon  and 
caecum,  and  the  distention  may  be  so  great  as  to  rupture  either 
the  one  or  the  other,  or  sometimes  to  produce  death,  without  either 
rupture  or  strangulation,  and  that  in  the  course  of  from  four  to 
twenty-four  hours. 

An  overloaded  stomach  is  one  cause  of  it,  and  particularly  so 
when  water  is  given  either  immediately  before  or  alter  a  plentiful 
meal,  or  food  to  which  the  horse  has  not  been  accustomed  is  given. 
The  symptoms,  according  to  Professor  Stewart,  are,  "  the  horse 
suddenly  slackening  his  pace — preparing  to  lie  down,  or  falling 
down  as  if  he  were  shot.  In  the  stable  he  paws  the  ground  with 
his  fore-feet,  lies  down,  roils,  starts  up  all  at  once,  and  throws 
himself  down  again  with  great  violence,  looking  wistfully  at  his 
flanks,  and  making  many  fruitless  attempts  to  void  his  urine." 

Hitherto  the  symptoms  are  not  much  uidike  spasmodic  colic, 
but  the  real  character  of  the  disease  soon  begins  to  develope  it- 
self It  is  in  one  of  the  large  intestines,  and  the  belly  swells  all 
round,  but  mostly  on  the  right  flank.  As  the  disease  proceeds,  the 
pain  becomes  uioTe  intense,  the  horse  more  violent,  and  at  length 
death  closes  the  scene. 

The  treatment  is  considerably  different  from  that  of  spasmodic 
colic.  The  spirit  of  pimento  would  be  here  allowed,  or  the  tur- 
pentine and  opium  drink  ;  but  if  the  pain,  and  especially  the 
swelling,  do  not  abate,  the  gas,  which  is  the  cause  of  it,  must  be 
got  rid  of,  or  the  animal  is  inevitably  lost. 

This  is  usually,  or  almost  invariably,  a  combination  of  hydrogen 
with  some  other  gas.  It  has  a  strong  affinity  for  chlorine.  Then 
if  some  compound  of  chlorine — the  chloride  of  lime — dissolved  in 
water,  is  administered  in  the  form  of  a  drink,  this  gives  speedy 
relief 

Where  these  two  medicines  are  not  at  hand,  and  the  danger  is 
imminent,  the  trochar  may  be  used,  in  order  to  open  a  way  for 
the  escape  of  the  gas.  The  trochar  should  be  small,  but  longer 
than  that  which  is  used  for  the  cow,  and  the  puncture  should  be 
made  in  the  middle  of  the  right  flank,  for  there  the  large  intes- 
tmes  are  most  easily  reached.  In  such  a  disease  it  cannot  be  ex- 
pected that  the  intestines  shall  always  be  found  precisely  in  their 
natural  situations,  but  usually  the  origin  of  the  ascending  portion 
of  the  colon,  or  the  base  of  the  csecum  will  be  pierced.  Th*^  au- 
tho:  of  this  work,  however,  deems  it  his  duty  to  add.  that  it  is  only 
when  the  practitioner  despairs  of  otherwise  saving  the  life  of  the 


220  INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    HOWELS ENTERITIS. 

animal  that  this  operation  should  be  attempted.  Much  of  the 
danger  would  be  avoided  by  using  a  very  small  trochar,  and  by 
withdrawing  it  as  soon  as  the  gas  has  escaped.  The  wound  in 
the  intestines  will  then  probably  close,  from  the  mnate  elasticity 
of  the  parts. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE   BOWELS. 

There  are  two  varieties  of  this  malady.  The  first  is  inflam- 
mation of  the  external  coats  of  the  intestines,  accompanied  by 
considerable  fever,  and  usually  costiveness.  The  second  is  that 
of  the  internal  or  mucous  coat,  and  almost  invariably  connect- 
ed with  purging. 

ENTERITIS. 

The  muscular  coat  is  that  which  is  oftenest  aflected.  Inflamma- 
tion of  the  external  coats  of  the  stomach,  wehther  the  peritoneal  or 
muscular,  or  both,  is  a  very  frequent  and  fatal  disease.  It  speedily 
runs  its  course,  and  it  is  of  great  consequence  that  its  early  symp- 
toms should  be  known.  If  the  horse  has  been  carefully  observed, 
restlessness  and  fever  will  have  been  seen  to  precede  the  attack. 
In  many  cases  a  direct  shivering  fit  will  occur :  the  mouth  will 
be  hot,  and  the  nose  red.  The  animal  Avill  soon  express  the  most 
dreadful  pain  by  pawing,  striking  at  his  belly,  looking  wildly  at 
his  flanks,  groaning,  and  rolling.  The  pulse  wall  be  quickened 
and  small ;  the  ears  and  legs  cold  ;  the  belly  tender,  and  some 
times  hot ;  tb'"  breathing  quickened  ;  the  bowels  costive  ;  and  the 
animal  becomnig  rapidly  and  fearfully  weak. 

The  reader  will  probably  here  recur  to  the  sketch  given  in  page 
216,  of  the  distinction  between  spasmodic  colic  and  inflammation 
of  the  bowels,  or  enteritis. 

The  causes  of  this  disease  are,  first  of  all  and  most  frequently 
sudden  exposure  to  cold.  If  a  horse  that  has  been  highly  fed 
carefully  groom.ed,  and  kept  in  a  warm  stable,  is  heated  with  ex- 
ercise, and  has  been  during  some  hours  without  food,  and  in  this 
state  of  exhaustion  is  sufi^ered  to  drink  freely  of  cold  water,  or  is 
drenched  with  rain,  or  have  his  legs  and  belly  washed  with  cold 
water,  an  attack  of  inflammation  of  the  bowels  will  often  follow 
An  over-fed  horse,  subjected  to  severe  and  long-continued  exertion, 
if  his  lungs  M^ere  previously  weak,  will  probably  be  attacked  by 
inflammation  of  them  ;  but  if  the  lungs  were  sound,  the  bowels 
will  on  the  following  day  be  the  seat  of  disease.  Stones  in  the 
nitestines  are  an  occasional  cause  of  inflammation,  and  colic  neg- 
lected or  wrongly  treated  will  terminate  in  it. 

The  horse  paws  and  stamps  as  in  colic,  but  without  the  inter- 
vals of  ease  that   occur  in  that  disease.     The  pulse  also  is  far 


ENTERITIS.  221 

quicker  than  in  colic.  The  breathing  is  more  hurried,  and  the 
indication  of  suffering  more  evident.  "  The  next  stage,"  in  the 
graphic  language  of  Mr.  Percival,  "  borders  on  delirium.  The 
eye  acquires  a  wild,  haggard,  unnatural  stare — the  pupil  dilates 
— liis  heedless  and  dreadlul  throes  render  approach  to  him  quite 
perilous.  He  is  an  object  not  only  of  compassion  but  of  appre- 
hension, and  seems  fast  hurrying  to  his  end  ;  when,  all  at  once, 
in  the  midst  of  agonizing  torments,  he  stands  quiet,  as  though 
every  pain  had  lett  him,  and  he  were  going  to  recover.  His 
breathing  becomes  tranquillized — his  pulse  sunk  beyond  all  per- 
ception— his  body  bedewed  with  a  cold,  clammy  sweat — he  is  in 
a  tremor  from  head  to  foot,  and  about  the  legs  and  ears  has  even 
a  death-like  feel.  The  mouth  feels  deadly  chill;  the  lips  drop 
pendulous  ;  and  the  eye  seems  unconscious  of  objects.  In  fine, 
death,  not  recoveiy,  is  at  hand.  Mortification  has  seized  the  in- 
flamed bowel — pain  can  no  longer  be  felt  in  that  which,  a  few 
minutes  ago,  was  the  seat  of  exquisite  suffering.  He  again  be- 
comes convulsed,  and  in  a  few  more  struggles,  less  violent  than  the 
former,  he  expires." 

The  treatment  of  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  like  that  of  the 
lungs,  should  be  prompt  and  energetic.  The  first  and  most  pow- 
erful means  of  cure  will  be  bleeding.  From  six  to  eight  or  ten 
quarts  of  blood,  in  fact,  as  much  as  the  horse  can  bear,  should  be 
abstracted  as  soon  as  possible  ;  and  the  bleeding  repeated  to  the 
extent  of  lour  or  five  quarts  more,  if  the  pain  is  not  relieved  and 
the  pulse  has  not  become  rounder  and  fuller.  The  speedy  w^eak 
ness  that  accompanies  this  disease  should  not  deter  from  bleeding 
largely.  That  wealmess  is  the  consequence  of  violent  inflamma- 
tion of  these  parts  ;  and  if  that  inflammation  is  subdued  by  the 
loss  of  blood,  the  wealaiess  will  disappear.  The  bleeding  should 
be  eflected  on  the  first  appearance  of  the  disease,  for  there  is  no 
malady  that  more  quickly  runs  its  course. 

A  strong  solution  of  aloes  should  immediately  follow  the  bleed- 
ing, but,  considering  the  irritable  state  of  the  intestines  at  this 
period,  guarded  by  opium.  This  should  be  quickly  followed  by 
back-raking,  and  injections  consisting  of  warm  water,  or  very 
thin  gruel,  in  which  Epsom  salts  or  aloes  have  been  dissolved ; 
and  too  much  fluid  can  scarcely  be  thrown  up.  If  the  common 
ox-bladder  and  pipe  is  used,  it  should  be  frequently  replenished ; 
but  with  Read's  patent  pump,  already  referred  to,  suflicient  may 
be  injected  to  penetrate  beyond  the  rectum,  and  reach  to  the 
colon  and  caecum,  and  dispose  them  to  evacuate  their  contents. 
The  horse  should  likewise  be  encouraged  to  drink  plentifully  of 
warm  water  or  thin  gruel  ;  and  draughts,  each  containing  a 
couple  of  drachms  of  dissolved  aloes,  with  a  little  opium,  should 
be  given  every  six  hours,  until  the  bowels  are  freely  opened. 


222  ENTERITIS 

It  will  now  be  prudent  to  endeavor  to  excite  considerable 
external  inflammation  as  near  as  possible  to  the  seat  of  the  inter 
nal  disease,  and  therefore  the  whole  of  the  belly  should  be  blis- 
tered. In  a  well-marked  case  of  this  disease,  no  time  should  be 
lost  in  applying  fomentations,  but  the  blister  at  once  resorted 
to.  The  tincture  of  Spanish  flies,  whether  made  with  spirit  of 
wine  or  turpentine,  should  be  thoroughly  rubbed  in.  The  legs 
should  be  well  bandaged  in  order  to  restore  the  circulation  iii 
them,  and  thus  lessen  the  flow  of  blood  to  the  inflamed  part ; 
and,  for  the  same  reason,  the  horse  should  be  warmly  clothed ; 
but  the  air  of  the  stable  or  box  should  be  cool. 

No  corn  or  hay  should  be  allowed  during  the  disease,  but  bran 
mashes,  and  green  feed  if  it  can  be  procured.  The  latter  will  be 
the  best  of  all  food,  and  may  be  given  without  the  slightest  ap- 
prehension of  danger.  When  the  horse  begins  to  recover,  a 
handful  of  grain  may  be  given  two  or  three  times  in  the  day  ; 
and,  if  the  weather  is  warm,  he  may  be  turned  into  a  paddock 
for  a  few  hours  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  Clysters  of  gruel 
should  be  continued  for  three  or  four  days  after  the  inflammation 
is  beginning  to  subside,  and  good  hand-rubbing  applied  to  the 
legs. 

The  second  variety  of  inflammation  of  the  bowels  aflects  the 
internal  or  mucous  coat,  and  is  generally  the  consequence  of 
physic  in  too  great  quantity,  or  of  an  improper  kind.  The  purg- 
ing is  more  violent  and  continues  longer  than  was  intended  ;  the 
animal  shows  that  he  is  suffering  great  pain ;  he  frequently  looks 
round  at  his  flanks  ;  his  breathing  is  laborious,  and  the  pulse  is 
quick  and  small — not  so  small,  however,  as  in  inflammation  of 
the  peritoneal  coat,  and,  contrary  to  some  of  the  most  frequent 
and  characteristic  symptoms  of  that  disease,  the  mouth  is  hot  and 
the  legs  and  ears  are  warm.  Unless  the  purging  is  excessive, 
and  the  pain  and  distress  great,  the  surgeon  should  hesitate  at 
giving  any  astringent  medicine  at  first ;  but  he  should  plentifully 
administer  gruel  or  thin  starch,  or  arrow-root,  by  the  mouth  and 
by  clyster,  removing  all  hay  and  corn,  and  particularly  green 
feed.  He  should  thus  endeavor  to  soothe  the  irritated  surface  of 
the  bowels,  while  he  permits  all  remains  of  the  purgative  to  be 
carried  ofl'.  If,  however,  twelve  hours  have  passed,  and  the 
purging  and  the  pain  remain  undiminished,  he  should  continue 
the  gruel,  adding  to  it  chalk,  catechu,  and  opium,  repeated  every 
six  hours.  As  soon  as  the  purging  begins  to  subside,  the  astrin- 
gent medicine  should  be  lessened  in  quantity,  and  gradually  dis- 
continued. Bleeding  will  rarely  be  necessary,  unless  the  inflam- 
mation is  very  great,  and  attended  by  symptoms  of  general  fever. 
The  horse  should  be  warmly  clothed,  and  placed  in  a  comforta- 
ble stable,  and  his  legs  should  be  hand-rubbed  and  bandaged 


ENTERITIS.  223 

Violent  purginfr,  and  attended  with  much  inflammation  and 
fever,  will  occur  from  other  causes.  Green  feed  will  frequently 
purge.  A  horse  worked  hard  upon  green  feed  will  sometimes 
scour.  The  remedy  is  change  of  diet,  or  less  labor.  Young 
horses  will  often  be  strongly  purged,  without  any  apparent  cause. 
Astringents  should  be  used  with  much  caution  here.  It  is  pro 
bably  an  elibrt  of  nature  to  get  rid  of  something  that  oiiends 
A  lew  doses  of  gruel  will  assist  in  effecting  this  purpose,  and  the 
purging  will  cease  without  astringent  medicine. 

Many  horses  that  are  not  taell-riljbed  home — having  too  great 
space  between  the  last  rib  and  the  hip-bone — are  subject  to 
purging  if  more  than  usual  exertion  is  required  Irom  them.  They 
are  recognized  by  the  term  of  icaslnj  horses.  They  are  often  free 
and  fleet,  but  destitute  of  continuance.  They  should  have  rather 
more  than  the  usual  allowance  of  grain,  with  beans,  when  a-l 
work.  A  cordial  ball,  with  catechu  and  opium,  will  often  be 
serviceable  either  before  or  after  a  journey.* 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spootier. — When  this  disease  occurs,  as  it  is  usually  in  the 
most  violent  form,  and  is  more  frequently  fatal  than  otherwise,  bleeding  is  call 
ed  for  most  assuredly ;  but  we  sliould  endeavor  previously  to  bring  warmth 
to  the  skin  and  extremities,  and  also  to  raise  the  pulse.  Two  ounces  of 
spn-it  of  nitrous  ether,  in  which  a  drachm  of  opium  has  been  infused,  may 
be  administered  in  a  pint  and  a  half  of  linseed-oil.  This  will  enable  us  to 
take  a  much  larger  quantity  of  blood  than  we  sliould  otherwise  be  enabled 
to  abstract.  It  is  of  great  importance  to  bleed  largely  in  the  first  instance, 
but  of  very  doubtful  benefit  to  repeat  the  blood-letting.  Warm  fomenta- 
tions to  the  abdomen  are  of  much  importance,  and  should  be  continued 
almost  without  remission,  whilst  the  pain  continues  ;  thus  applied,  the  heat 
of  hot  water  "will  be  more  efficacious  than  any  external  stimulants.  The 
oil  may  be  repeated  in  doses  of  one  pint  until  the  bowels  are  opened,  and 
the  last  dose  should  contain  a  scruple  of  powdered  opium.  Copious  draughts 
of  linseed  gruel  should  also  be  given,  and  injections  of  the  same  frequently 
thrown  up. 

Inflammation  of  the  peritoneum  seldom  occurs  as  an  independent  disease. 
When  it  does,  it  usually  follows  castration,  or  some  injury  external  to  tlie 
bowels.  The  treatment  should  resemble  that  previously  described.  It 
sometimes  exists  in  unison  with  pleurisy,  and  also  with  the  inflammation  of 
the  bowels  {enteritis)  ju^t  described. 

Infl;immation  of  the  mucous  coat  of  the  intestines  is  also  a  very  danger 
ous  disease.  It  may  be  produced  by  cold,  or  by  over-exertion,  particularly 
in  liot  weather,  or,  more  frequently  than  either,  by  an  overdose  of  physic,  or 
an  ordinary  or  weak  dose  while  the  metnbrane  is  either  in  a  state  of  irrita- 
tion, or  liable  to  become  so  from  sympathy  with  some  other  important  part, 
such  as  the  lungs,  more  particulaidy  their  lining  or  mucous  membrane. 

Bleeding  in  this  disease  is  seldom  of  service,  the  weak  and  almost  imper- 
ceptible state  of  the  pulse  forbiilding  it.  Our  en.leavors  must  be  devoted 
to  bringing  warmth  to  the  skin  and  extremities,  and  gradually  stopping  the 
irritation  of  the  bowels  and  sheathing  its  internal  mucous  membrane.  We 
may  venture  on  powdered  chalk  with  small  doses  of  opiunt  administered  in 
thick  wheat  flour  gruel. 


224  PHYSICKING 


PHYSICKING. 


Physicking  the  horse  is  often  necessary — hut  it  has  injured  the 
constitution  and  destroyed  thousands  of  animals  when  unneces- 
sarily or  improperly  resorted  to.  When  the  horse  comes  from 
ffrass  to  dry  feed,  or  from  the  open  air  to  the  heated  stable,  a 
dose  or  two  of  physic  may  be  necessary  to  prevent  the  tendency 
to  inflammation.  To  a  horse  that  is  becoming  too  fat,  or  has 
surfeit,  or  grease,  or  mange,  or  is  out  of  condition  from  inactivity 
of"  the  digestive  organs,  a  dose  of  physic  is  serviceable  ;  but  the 
periodical  physicking  of  all  horses  in  the  spring  and  autumn,  the 
severe  course  of  physic  thought  necessary  to  train  them  for  work, 
and  the  too  frequent  method  of  treating  the  animal  when  under 
the  operation  of  physic,  cannot  be  too  strongly  condemned. 

A  horse  should  be  carefully  prepared  for  the  action  of  physic. 
Two  or  three  bran  mashes  given  on  that  or  the  preceding  day 
are  far  from  sufficient  when  a  horse  is  about  to  be  physicked. 
Mashes  should  be  given  until  the  dung  becomes  softened.  Five 
drachms  of  aloes,  given  when  the  dung  has  thus  been  softened, 
will  act  much  more  effectually  and  much  more  safely  than  seven 
drachms,  when  the  lower  intestines  are  obstructed  by  hardened 
dung. 

On  the  day  on  which  the  physic  is  given,  the  horse  should  have 
walking  exercise,  or  may  be  gently  trotted  for  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  twice  in  the  day  ;  but  after  the  physic  begins  to  work,  he 
should  not  be  moved  from  his  stall.  Exercise  would  then  pro- 
duce gripes,  irritation,  and,  possibly,  dangerous  inflammation. 
The  common  and  absurd  practice  is  to  give  the  horse  most  exer- 
.jise  after  the  physic  has  begun  to  operate. 

A  little  hay  may  be  put  into  the  rack.  As  much  mash  should 
be  given  as  the  horse  will  eat,  and  as  much  water,  with  the 
coldness  of  it  taken  oR]  as  he  will  drink.  If,  however,  he  obsti- 
nately refuses  to  drink  warm  water,  it  is  better  that  he  should 
have  it  cold,  than  to  continue  without  taking  any  fluid  ;  but  in 
such  case  he  should  not  be  suffered  to  take  more  than  a  quart  at 
a  time,  with  an  interval  of  at  least  an  hour  between  each 
draught. 

When  the  purging  has  ceased,  or  the  physic  is  set,  a  mash 
should  be  given  once  or  twice  every  day  until  the  next  dose  is 
taken,  between  which  and  the  setting  of  the  first  there  should  be 
an  interval  of  a  week.  The  horse  should  recover  from  the 
languor  and  debility  occasioned  by  the  first  dose,  before  he  is 
iiarassed  by  a  second. 

Eight  or  ten  tolerably  copious  motions  will  be  perfectly  sufR 
«"'ifciit  to  a.nswer  every  good  purpose,  although  the  groom  or  the 


PHYSICKING.  225 

carter  may  not  bo  satisfied  unless  double  the  quantity  are  pro- 
cured. The  consequence  of  too  strong  purgation  will  be,  that 
weakness  Avill  hang  ubout  the  animal  ibr  several  days  or  weeks 
and  mliammation  will  oilen  ensue  from  the  over-irritation  of  the 
intestinal  canal. 

Long-continued  custom  has  made  aloes  the  almost  invariable 
purgative  of  the  horse,  and  very  properly  so  ;  ibr  there  is  no 
other  at  once  so  sure  and  so  safe.  The  Barbadoes  aloes,  although 
sometimes  very  dear,  should  alone  be  used.  The  dose,  with  a 
horse  properly  prepared,  will  vary  from  four  to  seven  drachms. 
The  preposterous  doses  of  nine,  ten,  or  even  twelve  drachms,  are 
now,  happily  ibr  the  horse,  generally  abandoned.  Custom  has 
assigned  the  form  of  a  ball  to  physic,  but  good  sense  will  in  due 
time  introduce  the  solution  of  aloes,  as  acting  more  speedily,  ef- 
fectually and  safely. 

The  only  other  purgative  on  which  dependence  can  be  placed 
IS  the  CROTON.  The  farina  or  meal  of  the  nut  is  generally  used ; 
but  from  its  acrimony  it  should  be  given  in  the  form  of  ball,  with 
linseed  meal.  The  dose  varies  from  a  scruple  to  half  a  drachm. 
It  acts  more  speedily  than  the  aloes,  and  without  the  nausea 
which  they  produce  ;  but  it  causes  more  watery  stools,  and,  con- 
sequently, more  debility. 

TiiNSEED-oiL  is  an  uncertain  but  safe  purgative,  in  doses  from 
a  pound  to  a  pound  and  a  half.  Olive-oil  is  more  uncertain,  but 
safe  ;  but  castor-oil,  that  mild  aperient  in  the  human  being,  is 
both  uncertain  and  unsafe.  Epsom-salts  are  inefficacious,  except 
in  the  immense  dose  of  a  pound  and  a  half,  and  then  they  are  not 
always  safe.=* 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — We  have  little  to  add  under  this  head.  "We  con- 
demn, with  the  author,  the  reckless  administration  of  violent  doses,  by  which 
very  many  horses  have  been  killed.  The  mucous  coat  of  the  intestines  of 
the  horse  appears  to  be  more  irritable  than  that  of  man ;  besides  which  it 
relatively  occupies  a  larger  extent  of  surface. 

Barbadoes  aloes  is  certainly  the  best  purgative  with  which  we  are  ac- 
quainted. A  drachm  of  ginger  may  be  advantageously  combined  with  it  to 
prevent  griping.  A  ball  is  certainly  the  best  and  safest  mode  of  giving 
ordinary  physic  to  a  horse.  It  is  necessary  to  give  a  much  stronger  dose  in 
the  form  of  a  draught  than  that  of  a  ball,  which  is  probably  owing  to  the 
fact,  that  with  a  ball  a  considerable  amount  of  action  is  produced  at  one 
spot  where  the  ball  is  dissolved,  and  the  irritation  there  produced  spreads 
by  sympathy  to  tlie  adjacent  parts,  whilst  the  liquid  being  spread  at  once 
over  a  large  surface,  a  less  amount  of  irritation  is  produced  at  any  one  par- 
ticular spot.  The  exercise  on  the  day  following  the  administration  of  the 
physic  should  depend  on  the  effect  produced.  If  the  purging  is  copious,  no 
exercise  should  be  given ;  but,  if  otherwise,  it  will  much  assist  our  opera- 
tions by  giving  a  greater  or  lesser  amount  of  exercise,  as  may  be  requited 

J 

15 


226    CALCULI INTHOSUSCEPTION ENTANGLEMENT    OF    BOWELS. 


CALCULI,  OR  STONES,  IN  THE  INTESTINES. 

These  are  a  cause  of  inflammation  in  the  bowels  of  the  horse 
and  more  frequently  of  colic.  They  are  generally  found  in  the 
caecum  or  colon,  varying  considerably  in  shape,  and  varying  in- 
weight  from  a  few  grains  to  several  pounds.  From  the  horizontal 
position  of  the  horse's  body,  the  stone  does  not  tend  downward  a& 
m  the  human  being,  and  contiimes  increasing  until  it  becomes  the 
source  of  fatal  irritation.  It  is  a  fruitful  cause  of  colic.  Little 
advance  has  been  made  or  can  be  made  to  procure  their  expulsion, 
or  even  to  determine  their  existence.^ 

INTROSUSCEPTION  OF  THE  "INTESTINES. 

A  portion  of  an  intestine  is  sometimes  slid  into  the  contiguous 
portion,  producing  a  fold  or  doubling.  The  irritation  produced 
by  it  soon  forms  an  obstruction  which  no  jDower  can  overcome. 
There  are  no  symptoms  to  indicate  the  presence  of  this,  except 
continued  and  increasing  pain  ;  or,  if  there  were,  all  our  means 
of  relief  would  here  fail. 

ENTANGLEMENT    OF  THE   BOWELS. 

This  is  produced  by  colic,  by  the  abominable  and  poisonous 
drinks  of  the  farrier,  and  by  other  causes. 

When  the  animal  rolls  and  throws  himself  about,  portions  of 
the  intestine  become  so  entangled  as  to  be  twisted  into  nooses  and 
knots,  drawn  together  with  a  degree  of  tightness  scarcely  credible, 
Fiff  81  Nothing  but  the  extreme  and  continued  tor- 

ture of  the  animal  can  lead  us  to  suspect  that 
this  has  taken  place,  and,  could  we  ascer- 
tain its  existence,  there  would  be  no  cure. 

The  following  cut  shows  an  entanglement 
of  the  bowels  of  a  horse  that  died  from  the 
effects  of  it.  The  parts  are  a  little  loosened 
in  order  better  to  show  the  entanglement  of 
the  intestines,  but  in  the  animal  they  were 
drawn  into  a  tight  knot,  and  completely  in- 
tercepted all  passage. 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — When  colic  arises  from  stones  or  concretions  in 
the  intestines,  the  pain  is  usually  very  severe,  until,  by  rolling  about,  the 
stone  is  dislodged  fiom  the  position  in  which  it  was  fixed,  and  chen,  becoming 
free,  the  pain  ceases.  We  may  presume  such  to  be  the  nature  of  the  case 
if  the  horse  lies  much  on  his  back,  and  rolls  over  from  side  to  side,  with  an 
evident  desire  to  relieve  himself  from  some  painful  pressure.  After  repeated 
attacks  of  this  kind  the  case  at  length  becomes  fatal,  the  calculus  accumu- 
lates, becomes  firmly  fixed,  obstructing  all  passage,  inflammation  supervenes, 
and  the  animal  dies. 


WORMS RUPTURE.  227 


WORMS. 


Worms  of  different  kinds  inhabit  the  intestines ;  but,  except 
wnen  they  exist  in  very  great  numbers,  they  are  not  so  hurtful  as 
is  generally  supposed,  although  the  groom  or  carter  may  trace  to 
them,  hidebound,  and  cough,  and  loss  of  appetite,  and  gripes,  and 
megrims,  and  a  variety  of  other  ailments. 

The  long  white  worm  much  resembles  the  common  earth-worm. 
It  is  from  six  to  ten  inches  long,  and  inhabits  the  small  intestines. 
If  there  are  too  many  of  them,  they  may  consume  more  than  can 
be  spared  of  the  nutritive  part  of  the  food,  or  the  mucus  of  the 
bowels.  A  tight  skin,  and  rough  coat,  and  tucked-up  belly,  are 
sometimes  connected  with  their  presence.  They  are  then,  how- 
ever, voided  in  large  quantities.  A  dose  of  physic  will  sometimes 
bring  away  almost  incredible  quantities  of  ti.cm.  Calomel  is 
frequently  given  as  a  vermifuge.  The  seldom  r  this  drug  is  ad- 
ministered to  the  horse  the  better.  "When  the  horse  can  be  spared, 
a  strong  dose  of  physic  is  an  excellent  vermifuge,  so  far  as  the 
long  round  worm  is  concerned  ;  but  a  better  medicine,  and  not 
mterfering  vidth  either  the  feeding  or  work  of  the  horse,  is  emetic 
tartar,  with  ginger,  made  into  a  ball  with  linseed  meal  and  trea- 
cle, and  given  every  morning,  half  an  hour  before  the  horse  is  fed. 

A  smaller,  darker-colored  worm,  called  the  needle-worm,  in- 
habits the  large  intestines.  Hundreds  of  them  sometimes  descend 
into  the  straight  gut,  and  immense  quantities  have  been  found  in 
the  blind  gut.  These  are  a  more  serious  nuisance  than  the  foi- 
mer,  for  they  cause  a  very  troublesome  irritation  about  the  fun- 
dament, which  sometimes  sadly  annoys  the  horse.  Their  existence 
can  generally  be  discovered  by  a  small  portion  of  mucus,  which, 
hardening,  is  found  adhering  to  the  anus.  Physic  will  sometimes 
bring  away  great  numbers  of  these  worms  ;  but  when  there  is 
much  irritation  about  the  tail,  and  much  of  this  mucus,  indicating 
that  they  have  descended  into  the  straight  gut,  an  injection  of 
linseed  oil,  or  of  aloes  dissolved  in  warm  water,  will  be  a  more 
effectual  remedy. 

The  tape-worm  is  seldom  found  in  the  horse. 

HERNIA,  OR  RUPTURE. 


A  portion  of  the  intestine  protrudes  out  of  the  cavity  of  th^ 
belly,  either  through  some  natural  or  artificial  opening.  In  some 
cases  it  may  be  returned,  but,  from  the  impossibility  of  applying 
a  truss  or  bandage,  it  soon  escapes  again.  At  other  times,  the 
opening  is  so  narrow,  that  the  gut,  gradually  distended  by  dung, 
or  thickened  by  inflammation,  cannot  be  returned,  and  f^trangu- 


228  LIVER  DISEASES. 

lated  hernra  is  then  said  to  exist.  The  seat  of  hernia  is  either  in 
the  testicle  bag  of  the  perfect  horse,  or  the  groin  of  the  gelding. 
The  causes  are  violent  struggling  when  under  operations,  over- 
exertion, kicks,  or  accidents.  The  assistance  of  a  veterinary  sur- 
geon is  here  indispensable.* 


DISEASES    OF  THE  LIVER. 

Horses  dying  when  not  more  than  five  years  old  of  other  com- 
plaints, usually  show  a  healthy  liver,  but  when  they  reach  eight 
or  nine,  the  liver  is  frequently  increased  in  size — is  less  elastic — 
has  assumed  a  more  granulated  or  broken  down  appearance — the 
blood  does  not  so  readily  pass  through  its  vessels — and  at  length, 
blood  begins  to  ooze  from  it  into  its  membraneous  covering,  or 
into  the  cavity  of  the  belly.  The  horse  feeds  well,  is  in  apparent 
health,  in  good  condition,  and  capable  of  constant  work  ;  but,  at 
length,  the  peritoneal  covering  of  the  liver  suddenly  gives  way, 
and  the  contents  of  the  abdomen  are  deluged  with  blood. 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — In  congenital  hernia  (that  appearing  at  birth), 
in  the  testicle  bag,  the  remedy  consists  in  castration  by  the  covered  opera- 
tion, that  is,  without  cutting  into  the  hernial  sac,  but  placing  wooden  claws 
^^n  the  cord  and  the  peritoneal  membrane,  and  at  the  same  time,  forcing  the 
gut  gently  upwards  towards  the  abdomen.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days  the 
:esticles  will  slough  off,  or  may  be  removed.  The  writer  purchased  a  colt 
9  few  years  since  for  a  trifle,  being  abandoned  by  its  owner  as  worthless,  on 
which  the  operation  was  successfully  performed,  and  the  colt  sold  afterwards 
at  a  good  price. 

When  the  hernia  is  strangulated,  violent  pain  and  great  danger  is  the  re- 
sult ;  the  opening  through  which  the  gut  has  escaped  is  generally  very  small, 
being  in  fact,  the  inguinal  ring.  In  such  cases,  if  the  hernia  cannot  be  re- 
duced by  the  hand,  or  the  taxis,  as  it  is  called,  it  is  necessary  to  open  the 
hernial  sac,  and  by  means  of  a  bistoury,  enlarge  the  opening  sufficiently  to 
put  back  the  gut — an  operation  of  great  difiiculty  and  danger,  and  requiring 
much  skill. 

Abdominal  hernia  may  occur  in  different  situations,  and  are  usually  caused 
by  external  violence,  such  as  the  horn  of  a  cow,  or  jumping  over  and  across 
a  post.  The  muscular  and  other  covering  of  the  abdomen  is  broken  through, 
whilst  the  skin,  from  its  greater  looseness,  remains  entire ;  and,  indeed,  is 
the  only  object  between  the  bowels  and  the  air.  If  the  case  is  recent,  the 
hernia  may  be  reduced,  and  the  hernial  sac  opened,  and  the  sides  of  the 
opening  brought  together  by  sutures  of  metallic  wire.  Where,  however, 
the  injury  is  of  long  standing  or  natural,  as,  for  instance,  in  mares,  when  the 
abdominal  ring  is  unusually  large,  we  cannot  succeed  by  this  means  ;  but 
yet  the  case  is  not  always  hopeless.  The  gut  being  forced  back,  an  incision 
is  made  in  the  skin,  and  one  or  more  wooden  skewers  passed  through  it,  so 
that  a  good  portion  of  the  skin  can  be  embraced  by  some  strong  waxed 
twine,  the  skewers  preventing  it  slipping  off  the  skin  thus  embraced,  which 
sloughs  off,  and  a  cicatrix  forming  the  surrounding  skin  becomes  tighter  and 
thicker  than  before — sufficiently  so  to  keep  the  gut,  for  the  most  part,  within 
the  abdomen. 


JAUNDICE.  22^ 

The  symptoms  of  this  sudden  change  are — pawing,  shifting  the 
posture,  distention  of  the  belly,  curling  of  the  upper  lip,  sighing 
frequently  and  deeply,  the  mouth  and  nostrils  pale  and  blanched, 
the  breathing  quickened,  restlessness,  debility,  fainting,  and  death. 

On  opening  the  abdomen,  the  intestines  are  found  to  be  deluged 
with  dark  venous  blood.  The  liver  is  either  of  a  fawn,  or  light 
yellow,  or  brown  color — easily  torn  by  the  finger,  and,  in  some 
cases,  completely  broken  doviai. 

If  the  hemorrhage  has  been  slight  at  the  commencement,  and 
fortunately  arrested,  yet  a  singular  consequence  will  frequentlv 
result.  The  sight  will  gradually  fail ;  the  pupil  of  one  or  both 
eyes  will  gradually  dilate,  the  animal  will  have  gutta  serena,  and 
become  perfectly  blind.  This  will  almost  assuredly  take  jdace  on 
a  return  of  the  affection  of  the  liver.  Little  can  be  done  in  a 
medical  point  of  view.  Astringent  and  styptic  medicines  may, 
however,  be  tried.  Turpentine,  alum,  or  sulphuric  acid,  will  af- 
ford the  only  chance.^ 

JAUNDICE, 

Commonly  called  the  The  Yellows,  is  a  more  frequent,  but 
more  tractable  disease.  It  is  the  introduction  of  bile  into  the  gene- 
ral circulation.  This  is  usually  caused  by  some  obstructi-on  in 
the  ducts  or  tubes  that  convey  the  bile  from  the  liver  to  the  intes- 
tines. The  yellowness  of  the  eyes  and  mouth,  and  of  the  skin, 
where  it  is  not  covered  with  hair,  mark  it  sufficiently  plainly. 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — The  symptoms  which  we  have  noticed  as  attend 
ing  this  disease  are,  a  heavy  dull  appearance,  loss  of  appetite,  and  respira 
tion  somewhat  quickened,  but  not  distressed  as  in  inflammation  of  the  luniks ; 
the  pulse  is  distinct  and  somewhat  quickened,  perhaps  from  lifry  to  sixty  it) 
the  minute.  The  membranes  of  the  eyelids  are  yellow,  or  at  any  rate  pale. 
It  is  a  very  obstinate  disease,  often  becoming  fatal,  even  when  the  syinpton^s 
at  first  do  not  appear  to  denote  danger.  In  such  instances  they  gradually 
increase  in  severity,  and  symptoms  of  severe  pain  become  connected  with 
those  of  distress  previously  existing,  and,  in  the  course  of  six  to  ten  days, 
the  case  b(iComes  fatal. 

Bleeding  is  required  in  the  first  instance,  but  not  to  the  same  extent  as  in 
inflammation  of  the  lungs.  Recourse  should  then  be  had  to  mercurial  alter- 
atives. Calomel  two  scruples,  with  opium  one  scruple,  should  be  given 
twice  a  day  for  several  days,  until  the  system  appears  to  be  affected  by  the 
mercury.  The  relaxation  of  the  bowels  should  be  promoted  by  a  pinh  of 
linseed  oil,  repeated  twice  or  thrice.  The  hair  should  be  cut  off  the  side 
opposite  the  liver,  and  mercurial  or  blistering  ointment  rubbed  in.  If  the 
horse  refuses  to  eat  mashes,  plenty  of  linseed  or  oatmeal  gruel  should  be 
given  with  the  horn. 

The  hepatirrhoea,  or  rupture  and  bleeding  from  the  liver,  mentioned  in 
the  text,  is  uniformly  fatal,  if  not  at  the  first,  at  the  second  or  third  attack. 
It  is  sometimes  atteuaed  with  amaurosis,  or  paralysis  of  tl*i  optic  nerve. 
Treatment  is  comparatively  useless. 


230  THE    KIDNEYS. 

The  dung  is  small  and  hard ;  the  urine  highly  colored  ;  the 
horse  languid,  and  the  appetite  impaired.  If  he  is  not  soon 
relieved,  he  sometimes  begins  to  express  considerable  uneasiness  ; 
at  other  times  he  is  dull,, heavy,  and  stupid.  A  characteristic 
symptom  is  lameness  of  the  right  fore  leg,  resembling  the  pain 
in  the  right  slioulder  of  the  human  being  in  liver  affections. 
The  principal  causes  are  over-feeding  or  over-exertion  in  sultry 
weather,  or  too  little  work,  generally  speaking,  or  inflammation 
or  other  disease  of  the  liver  itself 

It  is  sometimes  caused  by  the  sympathy  of  the  liver  with  some 
other  diseased  part,  and  in  this  case,  the  removal  of  that  disease 
will  remove  it.  If  there  is  no  other  apparent  disease  to  any 
great  extent,  an  endeavor  to  restore  the  natural  passage  of  the 
bile  by  purgatives  may  be  tried,  not  consisting  of  large  doses, 
lest  there  should  be  some  undetected  inflammation  of  the  lungs 
or  bowels,  in  either  of  which  a  strong  purgative  would  be  dan- 
gerous ;  but,  given  in  small  quantities,  repeated  at  short  inter- 
vals, and  until  the  bowels  are  freely  opened.  Bleeding  should 
always  be  resorted  to,  regulated  according  to  the  apparent  degree 
of  inflammation,  and  the  occasional  stupor  of  the  animal. 
Plenty  of  water,  slightly  warmed,  or  thin  gruel,  should  be  given. 
The  horse  should  be  warmly  clothed,  and  the  stable  well  ven- 
tilated, but  not  cold.  Carrots  or  green  food  will  be  very  bene 
ficial.  Should  the  purging,  when  once  excited,  prove  violent, 
we  need  not  be  in  any  haste  to  stop  it,  unless  inflammation  is  be- 
ginning to  be  connected  with  it,  or  the  horse  is  very  weak.  The 
medicine  recommended  under  diarrhcBa  may  then  be  given. 
A  few  slight  tonics  should  be  given  when  the  horse  is  recovering 
from  an  attack  of  jaundice.^ 

THE  KIDNEYS. 

The  kidneys  are  two  large  glandular  bodies,  placed  under  the 
loins,  of  the  shape  of  a  kidney-bean,  of  immense  size.  The  right 
kidney  is  most  forward,  lying  under  the  liver  ;  the  left  is  pushed 
more  backward  by  the  stomach  and  spleen.  A  large  artery  runs 
to  each,  carrying  not  less  than  a  sixth  part  of  the  whole  of  the 
blood  that  circulates  through  the  frame.  This  artery  is  divided 
into  innumerable  little  branches,  most  curiously  complicated  and 
3oiled  upon  each  other ;  and  the  blood,  traversing  these  convolu- 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — Jaundice  very  seldom  occurs  unconnected  with 
inflammation  of  the  liver  ;  when  it  does,  it  is  denoted  by  the  yellowness  of 
the  membranes,  and  the  absence  of  any  of  the  symptoms  of  inflammation- 
It  is  best  treated  by  the  same  internal  medicines  as  those  we  advised 
under  the  head  of  "  Inflammation  of  the  liver "  (in  note) ;  or  aloes  may 
also  be  giv^n  in  moderate  quantities. 


INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    KIDNEYS.  231 

tions,  has  its  \watery  parts,  and  others,  the  retaining  of  which 
would  be  injurious,  separated  from  it. 

The  fluid  thus  separated  (the  urine),  varies  materially  in  quan- 
tity and  composition  during  health.  There  is  no  organ  in  the  horse 
so  much  under  our  command  ;  and  there  are  no  medicines  so  use- 
ful, or  may  be  so  injurious,  as  diuretics  (those  which  increase  the 
evacuation  of  urine),  such  as  nitre  and  digitalis.  They  stimulate 
the  kidneys  to  separate  more  watery  fluid  from  the  blood,  and 
thus  reduce  the  circulation,  lowering  inflammation  and  calming 
excitement.  They  cause  the  removal  of  that  fluid  in  the  cellu- 
lar substance  of  the  legs  of  the  horse,  which  causes  them  so  often 
to  swell.  The  legs  of  many  horses  cannot  be  rendered  fine,  or 
kept  so,  without  the  use  of  diuretics  ;  nor  can  grease — often  con- 
nected with  these  sM'^ellings,  producing  them  or  caused  by  them 
— be  otherwise  subdued.  It  is  on  this  account  that  diuretics  are 
raidied  among  the  most  useful  of  veterinary  medicines. 

In  injudicious  hands,  however,  these  medicines  are  sadly 
abused.  Among  the  absurdities  of  stable  management,  there  is 
nothing  so  injurious  as  the  frequent  use  of  diuretics.  Not  only 
are  the  kidneys  often  over-excited,  weakened,  and  disposed  to 
disease,  but  the  whole  frame  becomes  debilitated.  There  is  like- 
wise one  important  fact  of  which  the  groom  or  the  horseman  sel- 
dom thinks,  viz  : — That  when  he  is  removing  these  humors  by 
the  imprudent  use  of  diuretics,  he  is  only  attacking  a  symptom 
or  a  consequ^^nce  of  disease,  and  not  the  disease  itself.  The  leg& 
will  fill  again,  and  the  grease  will  return.  While  the  cause 
remains,  the  effect  will  be  produced. 

In  the  administration  of  diuretics,  one  thing  should  be  attc ''ded 
to,  and  the  good  effect  of  which  the  testimony  of  every  intelli- 
gent man  will  confirm  :  the  horse  should  have  plenty  to  drink. 
Not  only  will  inflammation  be  prevented,  but  the  operation  of 
the  mediciiie  will  be  much  promoted. 

IKFLAMMATIOX  OF  THE  KIDN"EYS. 

This  is  no  uncommon  disease  in  the  horse,  and  is  more  un- 
skilfully and  fatally  treated  than  almost  any  other.  The  early 
symptoms  are  those  of  fever  generally,  but  the  seat  of  the  dis- 
ease soon  becomes  evident.  The  horse  looks  anxiously  round  at 
his  flanks  ;  stands  with  his  hinder  legs  wide  apart ;  is  unwilling 
to  lie  down  ;  straddles  as  he  walks  ;  expresses  pain  in  turning  ; 
shrinks  when  the  loins  are  pressed,  and  some  degree  of  heat  is 
felt  there.  The  urine  is  voided  in  small  quantities  :  frequently 
it  is  high-colored,  and  sometimes  bloody.  The  attempt  to  urin- 
ate becomes  more  frequent,  and  the  quantity  voided  smaller, 
until  the  animal  strains  painfully  and  violently,  but  the  discharge 


232  INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  KIDNEYS. 

is  nearly  or  quite  suppressed.  The  pulse  is  quick  and  hard  ;  full 
in  the  early  stage  ol'  the  disease,  but  rapidly  becoming  small,  yet 
not  losing  its  character  of  hardness.  These  symptoms  clearly 
indicate  an  affection  of  the  urinary  organs  ;  but  they  do  not  dis- 
tinguish inflammation  of  the  kidney  from  that  of  the  bladder 
In  order  to  effect  this,  the  hand  must  be  introduced  into  the  rec- 
tum. If  the  bladder  is  felt  full  and  hard  under  the  rectum,  there 
is  inflammation  of  the  neck  of  it ;  if  it  is  empty,  yet  on  the  por- 
tion of  the  intestines  immediately  over  it  there  is  more  than 
natural  heat  and  tenderness,  there  is  inflammation  of  the  body 
of  the  bladder ;  and  if  the  bladder  is  empty,  and  there  is  no  in- 
creased heat  or  tenderness,  there  is  inflammation  of  the  kidney. 

Too  powerful  or  too  often  repeated  diuretics  induce  inflamma- 
tion of  the  kidney,  or  a  degree  of  irritation  and  weakness  of  that 
organ  that  disposes  to  inflammation  from  causes  that  would 
otherwise  have  no  injurious  eflect.  If  a  horse  is  sprained  in  the 
loins  by  being  urged  on,  far  or  fast,  by  a  heavy  rider,  or  com- 
pelled to  take  too  wide  a  leap,  or  by  being  suddenly  pulled  up 
on  his  haunches,  the  inflammation  of  the  muscles  of  the  loins  is 
often  speedily  transferred  to  the  kidneys,  with  which  they  lie  in 
contact.  Exposure  to  cold  is  another  frequent  origin  of  this 
malady,  especially  if  the  horse  is  drenched  with  rain,  or  the  wet 
drips  upon  his  loins  ;  and,  more  particularly,  if  he  was  previously 
disposed  to  inflammation,  or  these  organs  had  been  previously 
weakened. 

The  treatment  will  only  vary  from  that  of  inflammation  of 
other  parts  by  a  consideration  of  the  peculiarity  of  the  organ 
affected.  Bleeding  must  be  promptly  resorted  to,  and  carried  to 
its  full  extent.  An  active  purge  should  next  be  administered  ; 
and  a  counter-inflammation  excited  as  nearly  as  possible  to  the 
seat  of  disease.  For  this  purpose  the  loins  should  be  fomented 
with  hot  water,  or  covered  with  a  mustard-poultice — the  horse 
should  be  warmly  clothed  ;  but  no  cantharides  or  turpentine 
should  be  used,  and,  most  of  all,  no  diuretic  be  given  internally. 
When  the  groom  finds  this  difficulty  or  suppression  of  staling,  he 
immediately  has  recourse  to  a  diuretic  ball  to  force  on  the  urine  ; 
and  by  thus  needlessly  irritating  a  part  already  too  much  excited, 
he  adds  fuel  to  fire,  and  frequently  destroys  the  horse.  The  ac- 
tion of  the  purgative  having  begun  a  little  to  cease,  white  helle- 
bore may  be  administered  in  small  doses,  with  or  without  emetic 
tartar.  The  patient  should  be  warmly  clothed  ;  his  legs  wel] 
bandanged ;  and  plenty  of  water  offered  to  him.  The  food 
should  be  carefully  examined,  and  anything  that  could  have 
excited  or  that  may  prolong  the  irritation  carefully  removed.^ 

*  Note   by  Mr.   Spooner — This  disease   is   readily  distinguished    from 


DIABETES HiEMATURIA  23J 


DIABETES,  OR  PROFUSE  STALING 

Is  a  comparatively  rare  disease.  It  is  generally  the  conse- 
quence of  undue  irritation  of  the  kidney  by  bad  food  or  strong 
diuretics,  and  sometimes  follows  inflammation  of  that  organ.  It 
can  seldom  be  traced  in  the  horse  to  any  disease  of  the  digestive 
organs.  The  treatment  is  obscure,  and  the  result  often  uncer- 
tain. It  is  evidently  increased  action  of  the  kidneys,  and  there- 
fore the  most  rational  plan  of  treatment  is  to  endeavor  to  abate 
that  action.  In  order  to  effect  this,  the  same  course  should  be 
pursued  in  the  early  stage  of  diabetes  as  in  actual  inflammation  ; 
but  the  lowering  system  must  not  be  carried  to  so  great  an  ex- 
tent. To  bleeding,  purging,  and  counter-irritation,  medicines  of 
an  astringent  quality  should  succeed,  as  catechu,  the  powdered 
leaf  of  the  whortleberry  (uva  ursi,)  and  opium.  Very  careful 
attention  should  be  paid  to  the  food.  The  hay  and  oats  should 
be  of  the  best  quality.  Green  feed,  and  especially  carrots  will 
be  very  serviceable.  =^ 


BLOODY  URINE— HEMATURIA. 

The  discharge  of  urine  of  this  character  is  of  occasional  occur- 
rence. Pure  blood  is  sometimes  discharged  which  immediately 
coagulates — at  other  times  it  is  more  or  less  mixed  with  the 
urine,  and  does  not  coagulate.  The  cause  of  its  appearance  and 
the  source  whence  it  proceeds  cannot  always  be  determined,  but 
it  is  probably  the  result  of  some  strain  or  blow.  It  may  or  may 
not  be  accompanied  by  inflammation. 

Should  it  be  the  result  of  strain  or  violence,  or  be  evidently 
attended  by  inflammation,  soothing  and  depleting  measures 
should  be  adopted.     Perhaps  counter-irritation  on  the  loins  might 

others,  from  the  great  tenderness  of  the  loins  when  pressed,  and  the  high 
color  of  the  urine,  which  is  sometimes  almost  black. 

The  bleeding,  as  stated  in  the  text,  should  be  very  copious,  and  repeated 
if  necessary.  One  of  the  best  applications  to  the  loins  is  a  fresh  sheep-skin, 
the  skin  side  inwards.  This  will  very  soon  cause,  and  keep  up,  a  consider- 
able perspiration,  which  may  be  continued  by  means  of  a  fresh  skin  in  the 
course  of  twelve  hours.  With  regard  to  internal  medicines,  one  of  the  best 
sedatives  is  the  white  hellebore,  in  doses  of  a  scruple  twice  a-day.  The 
bowels  should  be  opened  by  means  of  an  aperient  draught,  and  abundance 
of  linseed  tea  should  be  given,  so  as  to  sheath  the  irritated  parts. 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — Diabetes  is  almost  invariably  produced  by  un- 
wholesome food,  such  as  mow-burnt  hay,  or  kiln-dried  oats.  It  causes 
excessive  debility  and  loss  of  flesh.  We  do  not  approve  of  blood  letting,  as 
recommended  in  the  text ;  but  astringents,  such  as  opium  and  catechu,  com- 
bined with  sulphate  of  iron,  in  doses  of  a  drachm  twice  a-day,  are  of  much 
service.     The  cause  of  the  disease,  should  of  course  be  removed. 


234       ALBUMIN  JUS   URINE INFLAMMATION   OF   THE   BLADDER. 

be  useful.     If  there  is  no  apparent  inflammation,  some  gentle 
stimulus  may  be  administered  internally. 

ALBUMINOUS  URINE. 

A  peculiar  mucous  state  of  the  urine  of  some  horses  has  lately 
attracted  attention.  It  has  been  associated  with  stretching  out 
of  the  legs,  stiffness,  disinclination  to  move,  a  degree  of  fever,  and 
costiveness.  Slight  bleeding,  mild  physic,  the  application  of 
gentle  stimulants  to  the  loins,  quietness,  and  gentle  opiates,  have 
been  of  service. 

THE  BLADDER. 

The  urine  separated  from  the  blood  is  discharged  by  the  min- 
ute vessels,  of  which  we  have  spoken,  into  some  larger  canals, 
which  terminate  in  a  cavity  or  reservoir  in  the  body  of  each  kid- 
ney, designated  its  'pelvh.  Thence  it  is  conveyed  by  a  duct 
called  the  ureter,  to  a  large  reservoir,  the  bladder. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  BLADDER. 

There  are  two  varieties  of  .this  disease,  inflammation  of  the 
body  of  the  bladder,  and  of  its  neck.  The  symptoms  are  nearly 
the  same  with  those  of  inflammation  of  the  kidney,  except  that 
there  is  rarely  a  total  suppression  of  urine,  and  there  is  heat  felt 
in  the  rectum  over  the  situation  of  the  bladder.  The  causes  are 
the  presence  of  some  acrid  or  irritant  matter  in  the  urine,  or  of 
calculus  or  stone  in  the  bladder.  With  reference  to  inflammation 
of  the  body  of  the  bladder,  mischief  has  occasionally  been  done 
by  the  introduction  of  cantharides  or  some  other  irritating  mat- 
ter, in  order  to  hasten  the  period  of  horsing  in  the  mare.  The 
treatment  in  this  case  will  be  the  same  as  in  inflammation  of 
the  kidneys,  except  that  it  is  of  more  consequence  that  the  ani- 
mal should  drink  freely  of  water  or  thin  gruel. 

In  inflammation  of  the  neck  of  the  bladder  there  is  the  same 
frequent  voiding  of  urine  in  small  quantities,  generally  appear- 
ing in  an  advanced  stage  of  the  disease,  and  often  ending  in 
almost  total  suppression.  There  is  also  this  circumstance 
which  can  never  be  mistaken  by  him  who  will  pay  sufficient 
attention  to  the  case,  that  the  bladder  is  distended  with  urine, 
and  can  be  distinctly  felt  under  the  rectum.  It  is  spasm  of  the 
part,  closing  the  neck  of  the  bladder  so  powerfully  that  the  con 
traction  of"  the  bladder  and  the  pressure  of  the  muscles  are  un- 
able to  force  out  the  urine. 

Here  the  object  to  be  attempted  is  sufficiently  plain.  This 
spasm  must  be  relaxed,  and  the  most  likely  means  to  effect  it  is 


STONE    IN    THE    BLADDER.  235 

to  bleed  largely,  and  even  to  fainting.  This  will  sometimes 
succeed,  and  there  Avill  be  at  once  an  end  to  the  disease.  To 
the  exhaustion  and  loss  of  muscular  power  occasioned  by  copious 
bleeding,  should  be  added  the  nausea  consequent  on  physic. 
Should  not  this  speedily  have  effect,  another  mode  of  abating 
spasm  must  be  tried — powdered  opium,  made  into  a  ball  or 
drink,  should  be  given  every  two  or  three  hours  ;  while  an  active 
blister  is  applied  externally.  The  evacuation  of  the  bladder, 
both  in  the  mare  and  the  horse,  should  be  effected  through  the 
medium  of  a  veterinary  surgeon.* 

STONE   IN   THE   BLADDER. 

The  symptoms  of  stone  in  the  bladder  much  resemble  those 
of  spasmodic  colic,  except  that,  on  careful  inquiry,  it  will  be 
found  that  there  has  been  much  irregularity  in  the  discharge  of 
urine  and  occasional  suppression  of  it.  When  fits  of  apparent 
colic  frequently  return,  and  are  accompanied  by  any  peculiarity 
m  the  appearance  or  the  discharge  of  the  urine,  the  horse  should 
be  carefully  examined.  For  this  purpose  he  must  be  thrown. 
If  there  is  stone  in  the  bladder,  it  will,  while  the  horse  lies  on 
its  back,  press  on  the  rectum,  and  may  be  distinctly  felt  if  the 
hand  is  introduced  into  the  rectum.  Several  cases  have  lately 
occurred  of  successful  extraction  of  the  calculus  ;  but  to  effect 
this  it  will  always  be  necessary  to  have  recourse  to  the  aid  of  a 
veterinary  practitioner.! 

The  catheter  invented  by  Mr.  Taylor  is  made  of  polished 
round  iron,  three  feet  long,  one  and  a  half  inch  in  circumfer- 
ence, and  with  eight  joints  at  its  farther  extremity.     The  solid 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — This  is  a  very  rare  but  exceedingly  dangerous 
disease,  the  irritation  being  so  great  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  keep  any 
soothing  application  in  the  bladder,  the  contents  of  which  are  being  con- 
tinually ejected.  Recourse  therefore  must  be  had  to  very  copious  bleeding, 
so  as  to  endeavor  to  check  both  the  inflammation  which  exists,  as  well  as 
to  assuage  the  irritation  which  forbids  topical  (local)  measures.  It  will 
assist  to  atlminister  calomel  combined  with  opium  and  tartarized  antimony, 
two  scruples  of  each  being  given  three  times  a  day.  The  same  means  may 
be  adopted  when  inflammation  attacks  the  neck  of  the  bladder,  and  the 
spasm  prevents  its  evacuation.  As  stated  in  the  text  the  bladder  of  a 
mare  may  be  readily  evacuated  by  means  of  a  catheter  ;  and,  by  the  aid 
of  the  elastic  and  flexible  catheter,  the  bladder  of  the  gelding  can  also  be 
discharged,  though  the  operation  requires  some  tact  and  skill. 

\  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — In  cutting  for  the  stone,  the  horse  is  cast  and 
turned  on  his  back,  and  supported  in  that  position.  A  whalebone  or  wooden 
stafl:'  is  then  passed  up  the  urethra,  and  when  it  is  felt  at  the  perineum 
just  under  the  anus,  is  cut  down  upon.  A  pair  of  forceps  is  next  passed 
through  the  wound  thus  made,  into  the  bladder,  with  which  the  calculus 

must  be  removed.     The  bladder  then  should  be  washed  out  with  tepid 

•fcater,  and  the  wound  sewed  up. 


236  STONE    IN    THE    BLADDER 

part  between  each  joint  is  one  and  a  quarter  inch  in  length,  and 
one  and  a  half  in  circumference,  the  moveable  part  being  ten 
inches,  and  the  solid  part  two  feet  two  inches.  The  joints  are 
on  the  principle  of  a  half  joint,  so  that  the  moveable  part 
would  only  act  in  a  straight  line,  or  curve  in  one  direction. 
The  joints  are  perfectly  rounded  and  smooth  when  acting  either 
in  a  straight  line  or  a  curve.  It  is  represented  both  m  its 
straight  and  curved  state  in  the  following  cuts. 


Many  horses  occasionally  void  a  considerable  quantity  of 
gravel,  sometimes  without  inconvenience,  and  at  others  with 
evident  spasm  or  pain.  A  diuretic  might  be  useful  in  such 
case,  as  increasing  the  flow  of  urine,  and  possibly  washing  out 
the  concretions  before  they  become  too  numerous  or  bulky. 

The  urine  having  passed  the  neck  of  the  bladder,  flows  along 
the  urethra,  and  is  discharged.  The  sheath  of  the  penis  is 
sometimes  considerably  enlarged.  When  at  the  close  of  acute 
disease,  there  are  swellings  and  effusions  of  fluid,  under  the 
chest  and  belly,  this  part  seldom  escapes.  Diuretics,  with  a 
small  portion  of  cordial  medicine,  will  be  beneficial,  but  in  ex- 
treme cases  slight  scarifications  may  be  necessary.  The  inside 
of  the  sheath  is  often  the  seat  of  disease.  The  mucous  matter, 
naturally  secreted  there  to  defend  the  part  from  the  acrimony 
of  the  urine,  accumulates  and  becomes  exceedingly  offensive, 
and  produces  swelling,  tenderness,  and  even  excoriation,  with 
considerable  discharge.  Fomentation  with  warm  water,  and  the 
cleansing  of  the  part  with  soap  and  water,  aided  perhaps  by  the 
administration  of  a  diuretic  ball,  will  speedily  remove  every  in- 
convenience. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


BREEDING,     CASTRATION,    ETC. 


Our  observations  on  this  will  be  of  a  general  nature,  and  very 
eimple.  The  first  axiom  that  we  would  lay  down,  is  that  "  like 
will  produce  like,"  and  that  the  progeny  will  inherit  the  general 
or  mingled  qualities  of  the  parents.  There  is  scarcely  a  disease 
by  which  either  of  the  parents  is  affected  that  the  foal  does  not 
olten  inherit,  or  at  least  occasionally  show  a  predisposition  to  it. 
Even  the  consequences  of  ill  usage  jy  hard  work  will  descend  to 
the  progeny.  There  has  been  proof  upon  proof,  that  blindness, 
roaring,  thick-wind,  broken- wind,  spavins,  curbs,  ringbones,  and 
founder,  have  been  bequeathed  to  their  offspring,  both  by  the  sire 
and  the  dam.  It  should  likewise  be  recollected  that  although 
these  blemishes  may  not  appear  in  the  immediate  progeny,  they 
frequently  do  in  the  next,  or  even  more  distant  generation.  Hence 
the  necessity  of  some  knowledge  of  the  parentage  both  of  the  sire 
and  the  dam. 

Peculiarity  of  form  and  constitution  will  also  be  inherited. 
This  is  a  most  important  but  neglected  consideration  ;  for,  how- 
ever desirable  or  even  perfect  may  have  been  the  conformation 
of  the  sire,  every  good  point  may  be  neutralized  or  lost  by  the  de- 
fective structure  of  the  mare.  The  essential  points  should  be 
good  in  both  parents,  or  some  minor  defect  in  either  be  met,  and 
got  rid  of,  by  excellence  in  that  particular  point  in  the  other. 
The  unskilful  or  careless  breeder  too  often  so  badly  pairs  the  ani- 
mals, that  the  good  points  of  each  are  almost  lost :  the  defects 
of  both  mcreased,  and  the  produce  is  far  inferior  to  both  sire  and 
dam. 

The  mare  is  sometimes  put  to  the  horse  at  too  early  an  age  ; 
or,  what  is  of  more  frequent  occurrence,  the  mare  is  incapacitated 
for  work  by  old  age.  The  owner  is  unwilling  to  destroy  her,  and 
he  determines  that  she  shall  bear  a  foal,  and  thus  remunerate  him 
for  her  keep.  What  is  the  consequence  ?  The  foal  exhibits  an 
unkindliness  of  growth, — a  corresponding  weakness, — and  there  is 
«carcely  an  organ  that  possesses  its  natural  and  proper  strength. 

That  the  constitution  and  endurance  of  the  horse  are  inherited. 


238  BREEDING. 

no  sporting  man  ever  doubted.  The  qualities  of  tlie  sire  or  the 
dam  descend  from  generation  to  generation,  and  the  excellences 
or  defects  of  certain  horses  are  often  traced,  and  justl}^  so,  to  some 
peculiarity  in  a  far-distant  ancestor. 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  justly  affirmed,  that  there  is  more  difficulty 
in  selecting  a  good  mare  to  breed  from  than  a  good  horse,  because 
ehe  should  possess  somewhat  opposite  qualities.  Her  carcase 
should  be  long,  in  order  to  give  room  for  the  growth  of  the  foetus  , 
and  yet  with  this  there  should  be  compactness  of  form  and  short 
ness  of  leg.  What  can  they  expect  whose  practice  it  is  to  pur- 
chase worn-out,  spavined,  foundered  mares,  about  whom  they  fancy 
there  have  been  some  good  points,  and  send  them  far  into  the 
country  to  breed  from,  and,  with  all  their  variety  of  shape,  to  be 
covered  by  the  same  horse  ?  In  a  lottery  like  this  there  may  hi 
now  and  then  a  prize,  but  there  must  be  many  blanks. 

As  to  the  shape  of  the  stallion,  little  satisfactory  can  be  said 
It  must  depend  on  that  of  the  mare,  and  the  kind  of  horse  wished 
to  be  bred  ;  but  if  there  is  one  point  absolutely  essential,  it  is 
"  compactness" — as  much  goodness  and  strength  as  possible  con- 
densed into  a  little  space. 

Next  to  compactness,  the  inclination  of  the  shoulder  will  be  re 
garded.  A  huge  stallion,  with  upright  shoulders,  never  got  a 
capital  hunter  or  hackney.  From  him  the  breeder  can  obtain 
nothing  but  a  cart  or  dray  horse,  and  that,  perhaps,  spoiled  by  the 
opposite  form  of  the  mare.  On  the  other  hand,  an  upright 
shoulder  is  desirable,  if  not  absolutely  necessary,  when  a  mere 
slow  draught-horse  is  required. 

From  the  time  of  covering,  to  within  a  few  days  of  the  expected 
period  of  foaling,  the  cart-mare  may  be  kept  at  moderate  labor, 
not  only  without  injury,  but  with  decided  advantage.  It  will 
then  be  prudent  to  release  her  from  work,  and  keep  her  near 
home,  and  under  the  frequent  inspection  of  some  careful  person. 

When  nearly  half  the  time  of  pregnancy  has  elapsed,  the  mare 
should  have  a  little  better  food.  She  should  be  allowed  one  or 
two  feeds  of  grain  in  the  day.  This  is  about  the  period  when  they 
are  accustomed  to  slink  their  foals,  or  when  abortion  occurs  :  the 
eye  of  the  owner  should,  therefore,  be  frequently  upon  them. 
Good  feeding  and  moderate  exercise  will  be  the  best  preventives 
of  this  mishap.  The  mare  that  has  once  aborted,  is  liable  to  a 
repetition  of  the  accident,  and  therefore  should  never  be  suffered 
to  be  with  other  mares  between  the  fourth  and  hfth  months  :  for 
such  is  the  power  of  imagination  or  of  sympathy  in  the  mare,  that 
if  one  suffers  abortion,  others  in  the  same  pasture  will  too  often 
share  the  same  fate.  Farmers  wash,  and  paint,  and  tar  their 
stables,  to  prevent  some  supposed  infection  ; — the  infection  lies  in 
the  imagination. 


BREEDING.  239 

The  thoroug^h-'bred  mare — the  stock  being  intended  for  sport- 
ing purposes — should  be  kept  quiet,  and  apart  Irom  other  horses, 
after  the  first  four  or  five  months.  When  the  period  of  parturi- 
tion is  drawing  near,  she  should  be  watched  and  shut  up  during 
the  night  in  a  safe  yard  or  loose  box. 

If  the  mare,  whether  of  the  pure  or  common  breed,  be  thus 
taken  care  of,  and  be  in  good  health  while  in  foal,  little  danger 
will  attend  the  act  of  parturition.  If  there  is  false  presentation  of 
the  loBtus,  or  difficulty  in  producing  it,  it  will  be  better  to  have 
recourse  to  a  well-informed  practitioner,  than  to  injure  the 
mother  by  the  violent  and  injurious  attempts  that  are  often  made 
to  relieve  her. 

The  parturition  being  over,  the  mare  should  be  turned  into 
some  well-sheltered  pasture,  wdth  a  hovel  or  shed  to  run  into  when 
she  pleases  ;  and  if  she  has  foaled  early,  and  grass  is  scanty,  she 
should  have  a  couple  of  feeds  of  grain  daily.  The  breeder  may 
depend  upon  it,  that  nothing  is  gained  by  starving  the  mother 
and  stinting  the  foal  at  this  time.  It  is  the  most  important  pe- 
riod of  the  life  of  the  horse ;  and  if,  fromi  false  economy,  his  growi;h 
is  arrested,  his  puny  form  and  want  of  endurance  will  ever  after- 
wards testify  the  error  that  has  been  committed.  The  grain 
should  be  given  in  a  trough  on  the  ground,  that  the  foal  may  par- 
take of  it  with  the  mother.  When  the  new  grass  is  plentiful,  the 
quantity  of  corn  may  gradually  be  diminished. 

The  mare  will  usually  be  found  again  at  heat  at  or  before  the 
expiration  of  a  month  from  the  time  of  foaling,  when,  if  she  is 
principally  kept  for  breeding  purposes,  she  may  be  put  again  to 
the  horse.  At  the  same  time,  also,  if  she  is  used  for  agricultural  pur- 
poses, she  may  go  again  to  work.  The  foal  is  at  first  shut  in  the  sta- 
ble during  the  hours  of  work  ;  but  as  soon  as  it  acquires  sufficient 
strength  to  toddle  after  the  mare,  and  especially  when  she  is  at 
slow  work,  it  will  be  better  for  the  foal  and  the  dam  that  they 
should  be  together.  The  work  will  contribute  to  the  health  ol 
the  mother ;  the  foal  will  more  frequently  draw  the  milk,  and 
thrive  better,  and  will  be  hardy  and  tractable,  and  gradually  fa- 
miliarized with  the  objects  among  which  it  is  afterwards  to  live. 
While  the  mother,  however,  is  thus  worked,  she  and  the  foal 
should  be  well  fed  ;  and  two  feeds  of  corn,  at  least,  should  be 
added  to  the  green  food  which  they  get  when  turned  out  after 
their  work,  and  at  night. 

In  five  or  six  months,  according  to  the  growth  of  the  foal  it 
may  be  weaned.  It  should  then  be  housed  for  three  weeks  or  a 
month,  or  turned  into  some  distant  rick-yard.  There  can  be  no 
better  place  for  the  foal  than  the  latter,  as  aflbrdiiig,  and  that 
without  trouble,  both  food  and  shelter.  The  mother  should  be 
pat  to  harder  work;  and  nave  drier  food.     One  or  two  urme-balls. 


240  BREEDING BREAKING. 

or  a  physic-ball,  will  be  useful,  if  the  milk  should  be  troublesome 
or  she  should  pine  after  her  foal. 

There  is  no  principle  of  greater  importance  than  the  liberal 
feeding  of  the  foal  during  the  whole  of  his  growth,  and  at  this 
time  in  particular.  Bruised  oats  and  bran  should  form  a  consid- 
erable part  of  his  daily  provender.  The  farmer  may  be  as- 
sured tnat  the  money  is  well  laid  out  which  is  expended  on  the 
liDeral  nourishment  of  the  growing  colt ;  yet  while  he  is  well  fed, 
he  should  not  be  rendered  delicate  by  excess  of  care. 

A  racing  colt  is  often  stabled  ;  but  one  that  is  destined  to  be  a 
hunter,  a  hackney,  or  an  agricultural  horse,  should  have  a  square 
rick,  under  the  leeward  side  of  which  he  may  shelter  him- 
self ;  or  a  hovel,  into  which  he  may  run  at  night,  and  out  of  the 
rain. 

The  process  of  breaking-in  should  commence  from  the  very 
period  of  weaning.  The  foal  should  be  daily  handled,  par- 
tially dressed,  accustomed  to  the  halter  when  led  about,  and 
even  tied  up.  The  tractability,  and  good  temper,  and  value 
of  the  horse,  depend  a  great  deal  more  upon  this  than  breeders  are 
aware. 

Everything  should  be  done,  as  much  as  possible,  by  the  man 
who  feeds  the  colt,  and  whose  management  of  him  should  be  al- 
ways kind  and  gentle.  There  is  no  fault  for  which  a  breeder 
should  so  invariably  discharge  his  servant  as  cruelty,  or  even 
harshness,  towards  the  rising  stock  ;  for  the  principle  on  which 
their  after  usefulness  is  founded,  is  early  attachment  to,  and  con- 
fidence in  man,  and  obedience,  implicit  obedience,  resulting  prin- 
cipally from  this. 

After  the  second  winter  the  work  of  breaking-in  may  com- 
mence in  good  earnest.  The  colt  may  be  bitted,  and  a  bit 
selected  that  will  not  hurt  his  mouth,  and  much  smaller  than 
those  in  common  use.  With  this  he  may  be  suffered  to  amuse 
himself,  and  to  play,  and  to  champ  it  for  an  hour,  on  a  few  suc- 
cessive days. 

Having  become  a  little  tractable,  portions  of  the  harness  may 
be  put  upon  him,  concluding  with  the  blind  winkers  ;  and,  a  few 
days  afterwards,  he  may  go  into  the  team.  It  would  be  better  if 
there  could  be  one  horse  before,  and  one  behind  him,  besides  the 
shaft  horse.  There  should  at  first  be  the  mere  empty  wagon. 
Nothing  should  be  done  to  him,  except  that  he  should  have  an 
occasional  pat  or  kind  word.  The  other  horses  will  keep  him 
moving,  and  in  his  place  ;  and  no  great  time  Avill  pass,  sometimes 
not  even  the  first  day,  before  he  will  begin  to  pull  with  the  rest 
The  load  may  then  be  gradually  increased. 

The  agricultural  horse  is  sometimes  wanted  to  ride  as  well  as 
to  draw.     Let  his  first  lesson  be  jriven  when  he  is  in  the  team 


ARE  AXING.  241 

Let  his  feeder,  if  possible,  bt  first  put  upon  him.  He  will  be  too 
much  hampered  by  his  harm*ss,  and  by  the  other  horses,  to  make 
much  resistance  ;  and,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  will  quietly  and 
at  once  submit.  We  need  not  to  repeat,  that  no  whip  or  spur 
f^hould  be  used  in  giving  the  first  lessons  in  riding. 

When  he  begins  a  little  to  understand  his  business,  backing — 
the  most  difficult  part  of  his  work — may  be  taught  him  ;  first  to 
back  well  without  anything  behind  him,  and  then  with  a  light 
cart,  and  afterwards  with  some  serious  load — always  taking  the 
greatest  care  not  seriously  to  hurt  his  mouth.  If  the  first  lesson 
causes  much  soreness  of  the  gums,  the  colt  will  not  readily  submit 
to  a  second.  If  he  has  been  previously  rendered  tractable  by  kind 
usage,  time  and  patience  will  do  everything  that  can  be  wished. 
Some  carters  are  in  the  habit  of  blinding  the  colt  when  teacliing 
him  to  back.  This  may  be  necessary  with  a  restive  and  obstinate 
one,  but-  should  be  used  only  as  a  last  resort. 

The  colt  having  been  thus  partially  broken-in,  the  necessity  of 
implicit  obedience  must  be  taught  him,  and  that  not  by  severity, 
but  by  firmness  and  steadiness.  The  voice  will  go  a  great  way, 
but  the  whip  or  the  spur  is  sometimes  indispensable — not  so  se 
verely  applied  as  to  excite  the  animal  to  resistance,  but  to  con- 
vince him  that  we  have  the  power  to  enlbrce  submission.  Few, 
it  may  almost  be  said,  no  horses,  are  naturally  vicious.  It  i& 
cruel  usage  which  has  first  provoked  resistance.  That  resistance 
has  been  followed  by  greater  severity,  and  the  stubbornness  of  the 
animal  has  increased.  Open  warfare  has  ensued,  in  which  the 
man  has  seldom  gained  advantage,  and  the  horse  has  been  fre- 
quently rendered  unserviceable.  Correction  may,  or  must  be 
used,  to  enforce  implicit  obedience  after  the  education  has  pro- 
ceeded to  a  certain  extent,  but  the  early  lessons  should  be  incul- 
cated with  kindness  alone.  Young  colts  are  sometimes  very  per- 
verse. Many  days  will  occasionally  pass  before  they  will  permit 
the  bridle  to  be  put  on,  or  the  saddle  to  be  worn  ;  and  one  act  of 
harshness  will  double  or  treble  this  time  :  patience  and  kindness, 
however,  will  always  prevail.  On  some  morning,  when  he  is  in 
a  better  humor  than  usual,  the  bridle  may  be  put  on,  or  the  sad- 
dle may  be  worn ;  and,  this  compliance  being  followed  by  kind- 
ness and  soothing  on  the  part  of  the  breaker,  and  no  inconve- 
nience or  pain  being  sufiered  by  the  animal,  all  resistance  will  be 
at  an  end. 

The  same  principles  will  apply  to  the  breakiug-in  of  the  horse 
for  the  road  or  the  chase.  The  handhng,  and  some  portion  of  in- 
struction, should  commence  from  the  time  of  weaning.  The  fu- 
ture tractability  of  the  horse  will  much  depend  on  this.  At  two 
years  and  a  half,  or  three  years,  the  regular  process  of  breaking-in 
shoufd  commence.  If  it  is  delayed  until  the  animal  is  four  years 
K  U) 


242  BREAKING. 

old,  his  strength  and  obstinacy  will  be  more  difficult  to  overcome 
The  plan  usually  pursued  by  the  breaker  cannot  perhaps  be  much 
improved,  except  that  there  should  be  much  more  kindness  and 
patience,  and  far  less  harshness  and  cruelty,  than  these  persons 
are  accustomed  to  exhibit,  and  a  great  deal  more  attention  to  the 
form  and  natural  action  of  the  horse.  A  headstall  is  put  on  the 
colt,  and  a  cavesson  (or  apparatus  to  confine  and  pinch  the  nose) 
affixed  to  it,  with  long  reins.  He  is  first  accustomed  to  the  rein, 
then  led  round  a  ring  on  soft  ground,  and  at  length  mounted  and 
taught  his  paces.  Next  to  preserving  the  temper  and  docility  of 
the  horse,  there  is  nothing  of  so  much  importance  as  to  teach  him 
every  pace,  and  every  part  of  his  duty,  distinctly  and  thoroughly. 
Each  must  constitute  a  separate  and  sometimes  long-continued 
lesson,  and  that  taught  by  a  man  who  will  never  suffer  his  pas- 
sion to  get  the  better  of  his  discretion. 

After  the  cavesson  has  been  attached  to  the  headstall,  and  the 
long  reins  put  on,  the  colt  should  be  quietly  led  about  by  the 
breaker — a  steady  boy  following  behind,  by  occasional  threatening 
with  the  whip,  but  never  by  an  actual  blow,  to  keep  him  mroving. 
When  the  animal  follows  readily  and  quietly,  he  may  be  taken 
to  the  ring,  and  walked  round,  right  and  left,  in  a  very  small  cir- 
cle. Care  should  be  taken  to  teach  him  this  pace  thoroughly, 
never  suffering  him  to  break  into  a  trot.  The  boy  with  his  whip 
may  here  again  be  necessary,  but  not  a  single  blow  should  actu- 
ally fall. 

Becoming  tolerably  perfect  in  the  walk,  he  should  be  quickened 
to  a  trot,  and  kept  steadily  at  it ;  the  whip  of  the  boy,  if  needful, 
urging  him  on,  and  the  cavesson  restraining  him.  These  lessons 
should  be  short.  The  pace  should  be  kept  perfect,  and  distinct  in 
each  ;  and  docility  and  improvement  rewarded  with  frequent  ca- 
resses, and  handfuls  of  corn.  The  length  of  the  rein  may  now  be 
gradually  increased,  and  the  pace  quickened,  and  the  time  ex- 
tended, until  the  animal  becomes  tractable  in"  these  his  first  les- 
sons, towards  the  conclusion  of  which,  crupper-straps,  or  some- 
thing similar,  may  be  attached  to  the  clothing.  These,  playing 
about  the  sides  and  flanks,  accustom  him  to  the  flapping  of  the 
coat  of  the  rider.  The  annoyance  which  they  occasion  will  pass 
over  in  a  day  or  two  ;  for  when  the  animal  finds  that  no  harm 
comes  to  him,  he  will  cease  to  regard  them. 

Next  comes  the  bitting.  The  bits  should  be  large  and  smooth, 
and  the  reins  buckled  to  a  ring  on  either  side  of  the  pad.  There 
are  many  curious  and  expensive  machines  for  this  purpose,  but  the 
simple  rein  will  be  quite  sufficient.  It  should  at  first  be  slack, 
and  then  very  gradually  tightened.  This  will  prepare  for  the 
more  perfect  manner  m  which  the  head  will  be  afterwards  got 
into  its  proper  position,  when  tlie  colt  is  accustomed  to  the  saddle 


BREAKING.  ^43 

Occasionally  the  breaker  should  stand  in  front  of  the  colt,  and  take 
hold  of  each  side  rein  near  to  the  moutli,  and  press  upon  it,  and 
thus  begin  to  teach  him  to  stop  and  to  back  on  the  pressure  of 
the  rein,  rewarding  every  act  of  docility,  and  not  being  too  eager 
to  punish  occasional  carelessness  or  waywardness. 

The  colt  may  now  be  taken  into  the  road  or  street,  to  be  grad- 
ually accustomed  to  the  objects  among  which  his  services  will  be 
required.  Here,  from  fear  or  playlulness,  a  considerable  de- 
gree of  starting  and  shying  may  be  exhibited.  As  little  notice 
as  possible  should  be  taken  of  it.  The  same  or  a  similar  object 
should  be  soon  passed  again,  but  at  a  greater  distance.  If  the 
colt  still  shies,  let  the  distance  be  still  farther  increased  until  he 
takes  no  notice  of  the  object.  Then  he  may  be  gradually  brought 
nearer  to  it,  and  this  will  be  usually  effected  without  the  slight- 
est difficulty  :  whereas,  had  there  been  an  attempt  to  force  him 
close  to  it  in  the  first  instance,  the  remembrance  of  the  contest 
would  have  been  associated  with  every  appearance  of  the  object, 
and  the  habit  of  shying  would  have  been  established. 

Hitherto,  with  a  cool  and  patient  breaker,  the  whip  may  have 
been  shown,  but  will  scarcely  have  been  used  ;  the  colt  must 
now,  however,  be  accustomed  to  this  necessary  instrument  of  au- 
thority. Let  the  breaker  walk  by  the  side  of  the  animal,  and 
throw  his  right  arm  over  his  back,  holding  the  reins  in  his  left, 
occasionally  quickening  his  pace,  and  at  the  moment  of  doing 
this,  tapping  the  horse  with  the  whip  in  his  right  hand,  and  at 
first  very  gently.  The  tap  of  the  Avhip  and  the  quickening  of  the 
pace  will  soon  become  associated  in  the  mind  of  the  animal.  If 
necessary,  these  reminders  may  gradually  fall  a  little  Ireavier, 
and  the  feeling  of  pain  be  the  monitor  of  the  necessity  of 
increased  exertion.  The  lessons  of  reining  in  and  stopping,  and 
backing  on  the  pressure  of  the  bit,  may  continue  to  be  practised 
at  the  same  time. 

He  may  now  be  taught  to  bear  the  saddle.  Some  little  cau- 
tion will  be  necessary  at  the  first  putting  of  it  on.  The  breaker 
should  stand  at  the  head  of  the  colt,  patting  him  and  engaging 
his  attention,  while  one  assistant,  on  the  oft-side,  gently  places 
the  saddle  on  the  back  of  the  animal ;  and  another,  on  tlie  near- 
side, slowly  tightens  the  girths.  If  he  submits  quietly  to  this,  as 
he  generally  will  when  the  previous  process  of  breaking-in  has 
been  properly  conducted,  the  ceremony  of  mounting  may  be 
attempted  on  the  following,  or  on  the  third  day.  The  breaker 
will  need  two  assistants  in  order  to  accomplish  this.  He  will 
remain  at  the  head  of  the  colt,  patting  and  making  much  of 
him.  The  rider  will  put  his  foot  into  the  stirrup,  and  bear  a 
little  weight  upon  it,  while  the  man  on  the  off-side  presses 
equally  on  the  other  stirrup-leather  ;  and,  according  to  the  do- 


244  BREAKING CASTRATION. 

cility  of  the  animal,  he  will  gradually  increase  the  weight,  until 
he  balances  himself  on  the  stirrup.  If  the  colt  is  uneasy  or 
fearful,  he  should  be  spoken  kindly  to  and  patted,  or  a  mouthful 
of  grain  be  given  to  him  ;  but  if  he  offers  serious  resistance,  the 
lessons  must  terminate  for  that  day.  He  may  probably  be  in  bet- 
ter humor  on  the  morrow. 

When  the  rider  has  balanced  himself  for  a  minute  or  two, 
he  may  gently  throw  his  leg  over,  and  quietly  seat  himself  in 
the  saddle.  The  breaker  will  then  lead  the  animal  round  the 
ring,  the  rider  sitting  perfectly  still.  After  a  feM'  minutes  he  will 
take  the  reins,  and  handle  them  as  gently  as  possible,  and  guide 
the  horse  by  the  pressure  of  them  ;  patting  him  frequently,  and 
especially  when  he  thinks  of  dismounting  ;  and,  after  having 
dismounted,  offering  him  a  little  grain,  or  green  feed.  The  use 
of  the  rein  in  checking  him,  and  of  the  pressure  of  the  leg  and 
the  touch  of  the  heel  in  quickening  his  pace,  will  soon  be  taught, 
and  his  education  will  be  nearly  completed. 

The  horse  having  thus  far  submitted  himself  to  the  breaker, 
these  pattings  and  rewards  must  be  gradually  diminished,  and 
implicit  obedience  mildly  but  hrmly  enforced.  Severity  will  not 
often  be  necessary.  In  the  great  majority  of  cases  it  will  be 
altogether  uncalled  for  :  but  should  the  animal,  in  a  moment  of 
waywardness,  dispute  the  command  of  the  breaker,  he  must  at 
once  be  taught  that  he  is  the  slave  of  man,  and  that  we  have 
the  power,  by  other  means  than  those  of  kindness,  to  bend  him 
to  our  will.  The  education  of  the  horse  should  be  that  of  the 
child.  Pleasure  is,  as  much  as  possible,  associated  with  the 
early  lessons  ;  but  firmness,  or,  if  need  be,  coercion,  must  establish 
the  habit  of  obedience.  Tyranny  and  cruelty  will,  more  speediH 
in  the  horse  than  even  in  the  child,  provoke  the  wish  to  diso- 
bey ;  and,  on  every  practicable  occasion,  the  resistance  to  com- 
mand. The  restive  and  vicious  horse  is,  in  ninety-nine  cases 
out  of  a  hundred,  made  so  by  ill-usage,  and  not  by  nature.  None, 
but  those  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  make  the  experiment,  are 
aware  how  absolute  a  command  the  due  admixture  of  firmness 
and  kindness  will  soon  give  us  over  any  horse. 

CASTRATION. 

The  period  at  which  this  operation  may  be  best  performed  de- 
pends much  on  the  breed  and  form  of  the  colt,  and  the  purpose 
for  which  he  is  destined.  For  the  common  agricultural  horse 
the  age  of  four  or  five  months  will  be  the  most  proper  time,  or, 
at  least  before  he  is  weaned.  Few  horses  are  lost  when  cut  at 
that  age.  Care,  however,  should  be  taken  that  the  weather  is 
not  too  hot,  nor  the  flies  too  numerous. 

Tf  the   horse   is  designed   either  for  the    carriaire  or  for  heavy 


CASTRATION.  245 

draught,  the  farmer  should  not  think  of  castrating  him  until  he 
is  at  least  a  twelvemonth  old ;  and,  even  then,  the  colt  should  be 
carefully  examined.  If  he  is  thin  and  spare  about  the  neck  and 
shoulders,  and  low  in  the  withers,  he  will  materially  improve  by 
remaining  uncut  another  six  months ;  but  if  his  fore-quarters  are 
fairly  developed  at  the  age  of  a  twelvemonth,  the  operation 
should  not  be  delayed,  lest  he  become  heavy  and  gross  before, 
and  perhaps  has  begun  too  decidedly  to  have  a  will  of  his  own. 
No  specific  age,  then,  can  be  fixed ;  but  the  castration  should  be 
performed  rather  late  in  the  spring  or  early  in  the  autumn,  when 
the  air  is  temperate,  and  particularly  when  the  weather  is  dry. 

No  preparation  is  necessary  for  the  sucking  colt,  but  it  may 
be  prudent  to  bleed  and  to  physic  one  of  more  advanced  age. 
In  the  majority  of  cases,  no  after  treatment  will  be  necessary, 
except  that  the  animal  should  be  sheltered  from  intense  heat,  and 
more  particularly  from  wet.  In  temperate  weather,  he  will  do 
much  better  running  in  the  field,  than  nursed  in  a  close  and  hot 
stable.  The  moderate  exercise  that  he  will  take  in  grazing  will 
be  preferable  to  perfect  inaction. 

The  old  method  of  opening  the  scrotum  (testicle  bag),  on 
either  side,  and  cutting  off  the  testicles,  and  preventing  bleeding 
by  a  temporary  compression  of  the  vessels,  while  they  are  seared 
with  a  hot  iron,  must  not,  perhaps,  be  abandoned  ;  but  there  is  no 
necessity  of  that  extra  pain,  when  the  spermatic  cord  (the  blood- 
vessels and  the  nerve)  is  compressed  between  two  pieces  of  wood 
as  tightly  as  in  a  vice,  and  there  left  until  the  following  day,  or 
until  the  testicle  drops  off. 

The  practice  of  some  farmers  of  tivitching  *  their  colts  at  an 
early  period,  exposes  the  animal  to  much  umiecessary  pain,  and 
is  accompanied  with  considerable  danger.. 

Another  method  of  castration  is  by  Torsioii.  An  incision  is 
made  into  the  scrotum,  and  the  vas  deferens  is  exposed  and 
divided.  The  arter)^  is  then  seized  by  a  pair  of  forceps  contrived 
for  the  purpose,  and  twisted  six  or  seven  times  round.  It  retracts 
without  untwisting  the  coils,  and  bleeding  ceases.  The  testicle 
is  removed,  and  there  is  no  sloughing  or  danger.  The  most  pain- 
ful part  of  the  operation — the  operation  of  the  firing-iron  or  the 
clams — is  avoided,  and  the  wound  readily  heals. f 

*  Termed  cording  in  the  United  States. — Am.  Ed. 

f  Note  bij  Mr.  Spooner. — We  agree  with  the  author,  that  the  old 
method  of  operating,  by  opening  the  scrotum  with  the  knife,  cutting  the 
clams  on  the  cord,  and  searing  it  off  with  the  hot  iron,  is  as  safe  and  unob- 
jectionable as  any.  We  have,  however,  in  performing  this  operation,  found 
the  use  of  chloroform  very  beneficial,  both  in  removing  all  pain,  and  also 
preventing  that  severe  struggling  which  often  takes  place,  and  which  has 
sometimes  been  followed  with  very  dangerous  consequences.  With  this 
assistance  we  have  safely  performed  the  operation  in  seven  minutes,  with- 
out anv  pain  to  the  anunal. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


THE    FORE    LEGS. 


We  arrive  now  ax  those  parts  of  the  frame  which  are  most 
essentially  connected  with  the  action  and  value  of  the  horse,  and 
oftenest,  and  most  annoyingly,  the  subjects  of  disease. 

SPRAIN  OF  THE  SHOULDER. 

The  muscles  of  the  shoulder-blade  are  occasionally  injured  by 
some  severe  shock.  This  is  effected  oftener  by  a  slip  or  side-fall, 
than  by  fair,  although  violent  exertion.  It  is  of  considerable 
importance  to  be  able  to  distinguish  this  shoulder-lameness  from 
injuries  of  other  parts  of  the  fore  extremity.  There  is  not  much 
tenderness,  or  heat,  or  swelling.  If,  on  standing  before  the  horse, 
and  looking  at  the  si^e  of  the  two  shoulders,  or  rather  their  points, 
one  should  appear  evidently  larger  than  the  other,  this  must  not 
be  considered  as  indicative  of  sprain  of  the  muscles  of  the  shoul- 
der. It  probably  arises  from  bruise  of  the  point  of  the  shoulder, 
which  a  slight  examination  will  determine. 

In  sprain  of  the  shoulder  the  horse  evidently  suffers  extreme 
pain  while  moving,  and,  the  muscle  underneath  being  inflamed 
and  tender,  he  will  extend  it  as  little  as  possible.  He  ivill  drag 
his  toe  along  the  ground.  It  is  in  the  lifting  of  the  foot  that  the 
shoulder  is  principally  moved.  If  the  foot  is  lifted  high,  let  the 
horse  be  ever  so  lame,  the  shoulder  is  little,  if  at  all  affected. 

In  shoulder-lameness,  the  toe  alone  rests  on  the  ground.  The 
circumstance  which  most  of  all  characterises  this  affection  is,  that 
when  the'  foot  is  lifted  and  then  brought  considerably  forward 
the  horse  will  express  very  great  pain,  which  he  will  not  do  if 
the  lameness  is  in  the  foot  or  the  leg. 

In  sprain  of  the  internal  muscles  of  the  shoulder,  few  local 
measures  can  be  adopted.  The  horse  should  be  bled  from  the 
vein  on  the  inside  of  the  arm  (the  plate  vein),  because  the  blood 
is  then  abstracted  more  immediately  from  the  inflamed  part.  A 
dose  of  physic  should  be  given,  and  fomentations  applied,  and 
principally  on  the  inside  of  the  arm,  close  to  the  chest,  and  the 
horse  should  be  kept  as  quiet  as  possible.       The   injury  is  too 


SLANTING    OF    THE    SHOULDER. 


247 


deeply  seated  for  external  stimulants  to  have  ver}^  great  eflect, 
yet  a  blister  will  properly  be  resorted  to,  if  the  lameness  is  not 
speedily  removed.* 


SLANTING  DIRECTION  OF  THE  SHOULDER. 

It  will  be  observed,  that  (see  G  and  J,  Fig.  1 .)  the  shoulder-blade 
and  the  lower  bone  of  the  shoulder  are  not  connected  together  in 
a  straight  line,  but  form  a  very  considerable  angle  with  each 
other.  This  will  be  more  evident  from  the  fallowing  cut,  which 
represents  the  fore  and  hind  extremities  m  the  situations  which 
they  occupy  in  the  horse. 

Fig.  33. 


This  angular  construction  of  the  limbs  reminds  us  of  the 
similar  arrangement  of  the  springs  of  a  carriage,  and  the  ease  of 
motion,  and  almost  perfect  freedom  from  jolting,  which  ard 
thereby  obtained. 

*  N^ote  by  Mr.  Spooner. — The  symptoms  of  shoulder  lameness  as  pointed 
out  in  the  text,  are  for  the  mo^t  part  correct.  A  horse,  however,  never  points 
in  this  disease,  but  will  sometimes  keep  the  lame  limb  further  back  than  the 
other.  The  pain  is  almost  entirely  felt  in  motion,  and  not  in  sustaining  the 
weight;  wliiUt,  ia  strain-^  of  the  flexor  tendons,  there  is  no  pain  in  extending 
the  limb,  bat  only  when  the  weight  comes  upon  it ;  so  that  a  horse,  in  tlie 
latter  case,  steps  short  with  the  sound  leg  and  long  with  the  lame  one,  and 
the  very  reverse  in  shoulder  lameness.  Bleeding  from  the  arm,  and  mildly 
blistering  the  shoulder,  generally  ^iioceeds  in  effecting  a  cure. 


24  d  SLANTING    OF    THE    SHOULDER. 

The  obliquity  or  slanting  direction  of  the  shoulder  effects  other 
very  useful  purposes.  That  the  stride  in  the  gallop,  or  the  space 
passed  over  in  the  trot,  may  be  extensive,  it  is  necessary  that  the 
lore  part  of  the  animal  should  be  considerably  elevated.  The 
shoulder,  by  means  of  the  muscles  vi^hich  extend  from  it  to  the 
inferior  part  of  the  limb,  is  the  grand  agent  in  effecting  this. 
Had  the  bones  of  the  shoulder  been  placed  more  upright  than  we 
see  them,  they  could  not  then  have  been  of  the  length  which 
they  now  are, — their  connection  with  the  chest  could  not  have 
been  so  secure, — and  their  movements  upon  each  other  would 
have  been  comparatively  restricted. 

The  slanting  shoulder  accomplishes  a  most  useful  object.  The 
muscles  extending  from  the  shoulder-blade  to  the  lower  bone  of 
the  shoulder  are  the  powers  by  which  motion  is  given  to  the 
whole  of  the  limb.  The  extent  ^nd  energy  of  that  motion 
depend  much  on  the  force  exerted  or  the  strength  of  the  muscle  ; 
but  there  are  circumstances  in  the  relative  situations  of  the  dif- 
ferent bones  which  have  far  greater  influence. 

Let  it  be  supposed  that,  by  means  of  a  lever,  some  one  is 
endeavoring  to  raise  a  certain  weight. 

A  is  a  lever,  resting  or  turning  on  a  pivot  B  ;  C  is  the  weiifrht 
to  be  raised  ;  and  D  is  the  power,  or  the  situation  at  which  the 
power  is  applied.  If  the  strength  is  applied  in  the  direction  per- 
pendicular to  the  lever,  as  represented  by  the  line  E,  the  power 
which  must  be  exerted  can  easily  be  calculated. 

Fig.  34. 


In  proportion  as  the  distance  of  the  power  from  the  pivot  or 
centre  of  motion  exceeds  that  of  the  weight  from  the  same  place, 
so  will  be  the  advantage  gained.  The  power  here  is  twice  as 
far  from  the  center  as  the  weight  is,  and  therefore  advantage  i& 
gained  in  the  proportion  of  two  to  one  :  or  if  the  weight  is  equal 
to  2001bs.,  a  force  of  lOOlbs.  will  balance  it.  If  the  direction  in 
which  the  power  is  applied  is  altered,  and  it  is  in  that  of  the  line 
F,  will  lOOlbs.  effect  the  purpose?  No  ;  nothing  like  it.  How, 
then,  is  the  necessary  power  to  be  calculated  ?  The  lin-e  of 
direction  must  be  prolonged,  until  another  line,  falling  perpen- 
dicularly from  the  lever,  and  commencing  at  the  center  of  mo- 
tion, will  cut  it ;  and  the  length  of  that  line  will  give  the  actual 


SLANTING  OF  THE  SHOULDER.  249 

effect  of  the  strength  employed.  Now,  this  new  line  is  but  half 
as  long  as  the  distance  of  the  weight  from  the  centre  of  motion, 
and  therefore  advantage  is  lost  in  the  proportion  oi"  two  to  one  ; 
or  a  strength  equal  to  4001bs.  must  he  exerted  to  raise  the  2001hs., 
and  so  in  proportion  to  the  deviation  from  the  right  or  ^/erpendic- 
ular  line. 

Let  the  shoulder  of  the  horse  be  considered.  The  point  of  the 
shoulder — the  shoulder  joint — is  the  pivot  or  centre  of  motion; 
the  leg  attached  to  the  bone  of  the  arm  is  the  weight ;  the 
shoulder-blade  being  more  fixed  is  the  part  whence  the  power 
emanates  ;  and  the  muscles  extending  I'rom  the  one  to  the  other 
are  the  lines  in  which  that  power  is  exerted.  These  lines 
approach  much  more  nearly  to  a  perpendicular  in  the  oblique 
than  in  the  upright  shoulder  (see  Fig.  33).  In  the  upright  one, 
the  shoulder-blade  and  the  bones  of  the  arm  are  almost  in  a 
straight  line,  and  the  real  action  and  power  of  the  muscles  are 
most  strangely  diminished.  In  this  point  of  view  tlie  oblique 
shoulder  is  most  important.  It  not  only  gives  extensive  action,  but 
facility  of  action.  The  power  ot  the  muscles  is  more  than  doubled 
by  being  exerted  in  a  line  approaching  so  much  nearer  to  a  per- 
pendicular. 

The  oblique  shoulder  is  less  exposed  to  concussion,  particularly 
n  rapid  action.  The  horse  is  less  likely  to  trip.  Nature,  as  if 
to  supply  the  deficiency  of  action  and  of  j)ower  in  an  upright 
shoulder,  invariably  accumulates  on  it  more  muscle,  and  there- 
fore the  upright  shoulder  is  proverbially  thick  and  cloddy. 

Then,  ought  every  horse  to  have  an  oblique  shoulder  ?  No  ! 
The  question  has  relation  to  those  horses  that  are  designed  to 
ride  pleasantly,  or  from  which  extensive  and  rapid  action  is  re- 
quired. In  them  it  has  been  said  that  an  oblique  shoulder  is 
indispensable  :  but  there  are  others  which  are  seldom  ridden  ; 
whose  pace  is  slow,  and  who  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  throw  as 
much  weight  as  possible  into  the  collar.  To  them  an  upright 
shoulder  is  an  advantage,  because  its  additional  thickness  gives 
them  additional  weight  to  throw  into  the  collar,  which  the  power 
of  their  hinder  quarters  is  fully  sufficient  to  accomplish  ;  and 
because  the  upright  position  of  the  shoulder  gives  that  direction 
to  the  collar  which  enables  the  horse  to  act  upon  every  part  of 
it,  and  that  inclination  of  the  traces  which  will  enable  his 
weight  or  power  to  be  most  advantageously  employed. 

An  imxproved  breed  of  our  heavy  draught-horses  has  of  late 
years  been  attempted,  and  with  much  success.  Sufficient  up- 
rightness of  shoulder  is  retained  for  the  purposes  of  draught, 'while 
a  slight  degree  of  obliquity  has  materially  quickened  the  pace 
and  improved  the  appearance. 

k 


250 


MUSCLES    OF    THE    SHOULDER 


CUT       je"    THE    MUSCLES    ON    THE    OUTSIDE    OF    THE    SHOULDER. 

a  and  b,  in  Fig.  35,  represent  a  portion  of  the  Trapezius  mus- 
-\e.      Its  use  is  to  elevate  and  support  the  shoulder-blade — to 
■p-    gg  raise  it   and   likewise 

to  draw  it  backward. 
A  portion  of  it  is 
represented  as  turned 
back,  to  show  the 
muscles  beneath. 

A  moment's  consid- 
eration will  convince 
the  reader  that  al- 
though a  low  fore- 
hand and  thick  shoul- 
der are  very  properly 
objected  to,  yet  still 
some  fullness  and 
fleshiness  are  necessa- 
ry, even  about  the 
withers  ;  otherwise, 
although  there  may 
be  height  of  withers, 
and  obliquity  of  shoul- 
der, to  give  extensive 
action,  there  will  not 
be  sufficient  muscular 
power  to  work  the 
machine  with  either 
quickness  or  continu- 
ance. 

At  c  is  a  portion  of 
the  levator  humeri 
(the  raiser  of  the  shoul- 
der). It  is  a  muscle 
of  immense  power  and 
great  utility,  raising 
and  drawing  forward 
the  shoulder  and  the 
arm,  or,  when  these 
are  fixed,  turning  the  head  and  neck  if  one  only  acts,  and  de- 
pressing them  if  the  muscles  on  both  sides  act  at  the  same  time. 
AtVZ  is  a  portion  of  the  serratus  magnus  muscle,  between  the 
shoulder  and  side  of  the  chest,  and  constituting  the  bulk  of  the 
lower  part  of  the  neck. 

At  ^  is  a  small  portion  of  the  splenius  muscle,  /,  represents  a 
inuscie  sometimes  described  as  a  portion  of  the  levator  humeri 


MUSCLES    OF    THE    SHOULDER. 


251 


At  ^  is  a  portion  of  the  stei'no  maxillaris,  or  muscle  common 
Co  the  fore  part  ol'the  chest  and  the  lower  jaw. 

h  designates  the  principal  portion  of  this  muscle,  extending  from 
the  shoulder  to  the  humerus,  and  employed  in  drawing  this  bonp 
towards  the  shoulder-blade,  and  bendhig  the  whole  of  the  limb. 

The  muscle  i,  antea  ^yinatus,  is  situated  on  the  outer  and 
anterior  part  of  the  shoulder,  below  and  behind  the  muscle  next 
mentioned  ;  and  its  office  is  to  extend  the  lower  bone  of  th^^ 
shoulder  on  the  shoulder-blade. 

The  muscle  j,  iios,tea  sjmiatus,  behind  the  spine  or  ridge, 
occupies  that  space  of  the  shoulder.  It  draws  this  bone  outward 
and  upward. 

At  I',  is  a  muscle  common  to  the  breast  and  the  shoulder-blade, 
and  called  the  pectoralis  iiarvus,.  Its  action,  in  common  with 
that  of  a  larger  muscle,  seen  at  w,  the  great  'pectoral,  is  to  draw 
the  head  of  the  shoulder  backward,  and  also  the  lower  part  of  the 
shoulder-blade,  and  to  give  the  latter  a  more  upright  position. 

At  q,  is  the  tendon  of  a  very  important  muscle,  the  extensor 
longits  of  the  arm.  At  r  and  s,  are  the  three  divisions  of  another 
muscle  concerned  in  the  same  office. 

1,  2  and  3  designate  the  places  of  the  principal  artery,  nerve, 
and  vein  of  the  leg  ;  4  gives  the  subcutaneous  vein  running  within 
the  arm  ;  and  5  the  subcutaneous  vein  of  the  side  of  the  chest. 

Fig.  36  represents  the  muscles  on  the 
inside  of  the  shoulder  and  fore-arm.  a 
is  a  YQYy  prominent  one.  It  is  called  the 
pectoralis  transversus  (the  muscle  cross- 
ing the  breast).  The  use  of  this  muscle  ^ 
is  obvious  and  important.  It  binds  the 
arm  to  the  side  of  the  horse  ;  it  keeps 
the  legs  straight  before  the  horse  when 
he  is  at  speed,  that  the  weight  of  the 
body  may  be  received  on  them  in  a  di- 
rection most  easy  and  safe  to  the  horse 
and  to  the  rider,  and  most  advantageous 
for  the  full  play  of  all  the  muscles  con- 
cerned in  progression.  Considering  the 
unevenness  of  surface  over  which  a  horse 
often  passes,  and  the  rapid  turnings 
which  are  sometimes  necessary,  these 
muscles  have  enough  to  do  ;  and  when 
the  animal  is  pushed  beyond  his  strength, 
and  these  muscles  are  wearied,  and  the 
fore-iegs  spread  out,  and  the  horse  is 
"  all  abroad,'"  the  confused  and  unpleas- 
'  ant  manner  of  going,  and  the  sudden 
falling-off  in  speed,  are  well  known   to 


252  THE    ARM. 

every  rider.  The  lines  above  represent,  in  the  order  from  the 
front,  the  principal  nerves,  arteries,  and  veins  of  the  shoulder 
and  arm  ;  and,  on  the  muscles,  k  represents  the  principal  sub- 
cutaneous vein  of  the  inside  of  the  arm,  and  i  the  artery  by 
which  it  is  accompanied. 

THE  HUMERUS,  OR  LOWER  BONE  OF  THE   SHOULDER. 

Forming  a  joint  with  the  shoulder-blade,  at  the  point  of  the 
shoulder,  is  the  liumerus.  It  is  a  short,  strong  bone,  slanting 
backward  in  an  opposite  direction  to  the  shoulder-blade.  At  the 
upper  part  it  has  a  large  round  head,  received  into  the  shallow 
cavity  of  the  shoulder-blade.  In  a  well-formed  horse  this  bone 
can  scarcely  be  too  short. 

THE   ARM. 

The  ann  extending  from  the  elbow  to  the  knee  (see  K  and  L, 
Fig.  1,  and  also  Fig.  35),  consists,  in  the  young  horse,  of  two  dis- 
tinct bones.  The  long  and  front  bone,  called  the  radius,  is  nearly 
straight,  receiving  into  its  upper  end  the  lower  heads  of  the  hu- 
merus ;  and  the  lower  end  corresponding  with  the  upper  layer  of 
the  bones  of  the  knee.  The  short  and  hinder  bone  is  called  the 
ulna.  It  has  a  very  long  and  powerful  projection,  received  be- 
tween the  heads  of  the  humerus,  and  called  the  elbow  ;  it  then 
stretches  down,  narrowing  by  degrees  (see  L,  Fig.  1,  and  the  Fig. 
35),  to  below  the  middle  of  the  front  bone,  where  it  terminates 
in  a  point.  The  two  bones  are  united  together  by  cartilage  and 
ligament ;  but  these  are  by  degrees  absorbed  and  changed  to  bone, 
and  before  the  horse  becomes  old  the  whole  of  the  arm  consists 
of  one  bone  only. 

The  strength  of  the  horse,  so  far  as  his  fore  limbs  are  concerned, 
resides  principally  in  those  muscles  which  give  size  to  the  arm. 

A  full  and  swelling  fore-arm  is  the  characteristic  of  every 
thorough-bred  horse.  Whatever  other  good  points  the  animal 
may  possess,  if  the  arm  is  narrow  in  front  and  near  the  shoulder, 
flat  on  the  side,  and  altogether  deficient  in  muscular  appearance, 
that  horse  is  radically  defective.  He  can  neither  raise  his  knee 
for  rapid  action,  nor  throw  his  legs  suflRciently  forward. 

The  arm  should  likewise  be  long.  In  proportion  to  the  length 
of  the  muscle  is  the  degree  of  contraction  of  which  it  is  capable  ; 
and  in  proportion  also  to  the  degree  of  contraction  will  be  the 
extent  of  motion  in  the  limb  beneath. 

Enlargements  sometimes  'appear  about  the  elbow,  either  the 
consequence  of  a  violent  blow,  or  from  the  calks  of  the  shoes  in- 
juring this  part  when  the  horse  sleeps  with  his  legs  doubled  under 
him.     If  a  seton  is  passed  through  the  tumor,  it  will  sometiniei» 


THE    KNEE.  253 

rapully  diminish,  and  even  disappear  ;  but  if  it  is  of  considerable 
miiofiiitude,  the  skin  should  be  opened  along  the  middle  of  the 
swelliuof,  and  the  tumor  dissected  out. 

The  elbow-joint  is  sometimes  punctured,  either  accidentally,  or 
through  the  brutality  of  the  groom  or  carter.  The  swelling  is 
often  rapid  and  extensive,  and  fatal  inflammation  may  ensue. 
Rest,  and  the  closure  of  the  wound,  are  the  most  important  con- 
siderations. 

There  are  other  muscles  of  the  fore-arm  employed  in  extending 
the  limb.  At  x,  Fig.  35,  is  the  principal  one,  called  the  extensor 
metacarpi.     Its  office  is  to  extend  the  leg. 

The  next  muscle  in  situation  and  importance  is  seen  at  iv,  and 
called  the  extensor  loedis. 

At  u.  Fig.  35,  is  the  tendon  of  another  extensor  muscle,  and 
at  2;  a  curious  oblique  one,  passing  over  the  tendon  of  x,  confining 
it  in  its  situation,  and  likewise  assisting  in  extending  or  straight- 
ening the  leg. 

The  muscles  employed  in  bending  the  leg  are  both  numerous 
and  powerful.  Two  of  the  superficial  ones  are  given  in  Fig.  36. 
The  first  is  aX  t,  Fig.  35  ;  it  is  also  seen  at  h,  Fig.  35.  It  is 
called  \\\Q  flexor  ineclius  Tnetacarjn,  because  its  office  is  to  bend 
the  leg.  The  other  is  seen  at  v,  Fig.  35.  It  is  called  the  flexor 
metacarjii  externus,  and  is  also  designed  to  flex  the  leg. 

The  internal  flexor  is  seen  at  e.  Its  office  is  also  to  bend  the 
leg. 

A  portion  of  one  of  the  most  powerful  of  the  flexor  muscles, 
and  powerful  indeed  they  must  be,  is  delineated  at  c,  Fig.  35. 
It  is  XkiQ  flexor  brachii.  It  is  the  muscle  by  which,  almost  alone, 
the  whole  of  the  leg  below  the  arm  is  bent,  and  carried  forward 
and  upward.  [There  are  other  muscles  of  the  leg  and  foot,  not 
necessary  to  be  named  here.] 


THE   KNEE. 

To  avoid  the  effects  of  concussion  in  so  exposed  a  part,  six  dis- 
tinct bones,  each  covered  above  and  below  with  a  thick  coating 
of  cartilage,  cormected  together  by  strong  ligaments,  but  separated 
by  interposed  fluids  and  membranes,  form  the  knee. 

The  knee  should  be  broad.  It  should  present  a  very  consider- 
able width,  compared  with  the  arm  above,  or  the  shank  below. 
In  proportion  to  the  breadth  of  the  knee  is  the  space  for  the.  at- 
tachment of  muscles,  and  for  the  accumulation  of  ligamentous 
expansions  and  bands.  In  proportion  to  the  breadth  of  the  knee 
there  will  be  more  strength  ;  and  likewise  the  direction  of  some 
muscles  will  be  less  oblique,  and  the  course  of  others  will  be  more 


254  BROKEN    KNEES. 

removed  from  the  centre  of  motion,  in  either  of  which  cases  mu«h 
power  will  be  gained. 

BROKEN  KNEES. 

The  treatment  of  broken  knees  is  a  subject  of  considerable 
mportance,  for  many  horses  are  sadly  blemished,  and  others  are 
destroyed,  by  wounds  in  the  knee-joint.  The  horse,  when  falling, 
naturally  throws  his  knees  forward  ;  they  receive  all  his  weight, 
and  are  sometimes  very  extensively  lacerated.  The  first  thing 
to  be  done  is,  by  very  careful  washing  with  warm  water,  to 
cleanse  the  wound  from  all  gravel  and  dirt.  It  must  then  be 
ascertained  whether  the  joint  is  penetrated.  The  grating  of  the 
probe  on  one  of  the  bones  of  the  knee,  or  the  depth  to  which 
the  probe  enters  the  wound,  will  too  plainly  indicate  that  the 
joint  has  been  opened.  Should  any  doubt  exist,  a  linseed-meal 
poultice  must  be  applied.  This  will  at  least  act  as  a  fomenta- 
tion to  the  wound,  and  will  prevent  or  abate  inflammation ;  and 
when,  twelve  hours  afterwards,  it  is  taken  ofl^,  the  sy7iovia  or 
ioint-oil,  in  the  form  of  a  glairy,  yellowish,  transparent  fluid, 
will  be  seen,  if  the  capsular  ligament  has  been  penetrated. 
Should  doubt  remain  after  the  first  poultice,  a  second  ought 
to  be  applied. 

It  having  been  ascertained  that  the  interior  of  the  joint  is  not 
injured,  attention  must  be  paid  to  the  wound  that  is  actually  made. 
The  horse  should  wear  a  cradle  to  prevent  his  getting  at  the 
wound.  A  stimulating  application — the  common  black-oil  of 
the  farrier  is  as  good  as  any — should  be  lightly  applied  every 
day,  until  healthy  pus  is  produced  on  the  wound,  and  then  a  little 
friar's  balsam  will  probably  eflect  a  cure. 

The  opening  of  the  joint,  however,  being  ascertained,  the  first 
and  immediate  care  is  to  close  the  orifice  ;  for  the  fluid  which 
separated  and  lubricated  the  bones  of  the  knee  being  sufl^ered  to 
escape,  they  will  be  brought  into  contact  with  and  will  rub  upon 
each  other  ;  the  delicate*  membrane  with  which  they  are  covered 
will  be  highly  inflamed ;  the  constitution  will  be  speedily 
aflected,  and  a  degree  of  fever  will  ensue  that  will  destroy  the 
horse  :  while,  in  the  meantime,  of  all  the  tortures  that  can  be- 
inflicted  on  the  poor  animal,  none  can  equal  that  which  accom- 
panies inflammation  of  the  membranes  lining  the  joints. 

The  manner  of  closing  the  orifice  must  be  left  to  the  judg- 
ment of  the  veterinary  surgeon,  who  alone  is  capable  of  properly 
treating  such  a  case.  It  may  be  efiected  by  a  compress  enclos- 
ing the  whole  of  the  wound,  and  not  to  be  removed  for  many 
days  ;  or  it  may  be  attempted  by  the  old  and  generally  successful 
method  of  applying  the  hot  iron  over  the  wound,  and  particularly 


BROKEN    KNEEb.  255 

over  the  spot  where  the  ligament  appears  to  be  lacerated.  A 
poultice  may  then  be  placed  on  the  part,  and  the  case  treated 
as  a  common  wound.  The  surgeon  will  (ind  no  difliculty  in  de- 
termining whether  the  sharp  edge  of  the  common  firing-iron 
should  be  used — as  would  be  the  case  if  the  laceration  is  con 
siderable,  or  whether  the  budding-iron  should  be  resorted  to 
After  the  use  of  the  cautery,  the  application  of  a  blister  may, 
in  .'Some  cases,  be  serviceable.  Should  the  joint-oil  continue  to 
flow,  the  iron  may  be  applied  a  second,  or  even  a  third  time. 
By  its  application,  so  much  swelling  is  produced  on  the  imme- 
diate puncture,  and  in  the  neighboring  parts,  as  mechanically  to 
close  up  and  plug  the  orifice. 

If,  however,  the  opening  into  the  joint  is  extensive,  and  tlie 
joint-oil  continues  to  flow,  and  the  horse  is  evidently  sufierino 
much  pain,  humanity  wiii  dictate  that  he  should  be  destroyed 
The  case  is  hopeless.  A  high  degree  of  fever  will  ere  long  carry 
him  of!',  or  the  inflammation  will  cause  a  deposit  of  matter  in 
the  cavity  of  the  joint  that  will  pnxhice  incurable  lameness. ^'^ 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — The  knee  is  subject  to  a  variety  of  injuries  from 
falls.  Sometimes,  thoufi;h  tlie  wound  is  large  and  apparently  formidable,  it 
is  yet  but  an  ordinary  wound,  and  will  heal  readily  with  common  treat- 
ment. At  other  times,  partly  from  the  width  and  extent  of  the  wound,  and 
partly  from  the  restlessness  of  the  animal,  a  wide  and  dei;))  fissure  takes 
place,  wliich  opens  every  time  the  horse  bends  his  knee,  and  the  sides  of 
the  chap  <jfrowin|j^  at  the  same  time,  the  wound  becomes  deei)er  and  wider, 
and  is  extremely  difficult  to  heal.  The  best  mode  of  treatment  is  to  cut 
away  the  sides  and  edges  of  the  fisssure  to  its  full  depth,  thereby  convert 
ing  it  into  one  simple  wound,  which  may  be  healed  with  little  difficulty. 
When  the  joint  is  opened  the  treatment  must  be  conducted  on  very  differ- 
ent principles  from  that  of  an  ordinary  wound;  whereas,  in  the  latter  case, 
fomentations  and  poultices  are  very  pro]ier,  in  order  to  cleanse  the  wound, 
and  to  keep  down  inflammation.  When  the  joint  is  opened,  these;  measures 
are  to  be  avoided,  as  they  increase  irritation,  by  keeping  open  tlie  joint,  and 
encouraging  the  flow  of  synovia  (joint-oil),  and  the  entrance  of  the  air. 

In  a  case  of  open  joint,  our  principal  endeavor  must  be  to  close  the  joint 
with  all  possible  despatch ;  but  even  with  judicious  treatment  our  chances 
of  success  will  materially  depend  on  one  or  two  circumstances,  viz.,  the  size 
of  the  wound,  the  cavity  oj)ened,  and  tlie  fact  as  to  whether  inflammation  is 
already  set  up  in  the  joint  or  not.  If  the  latter  be  the  case,  our  chances 
of  success  are  very  slight,  for  the  joint  will,  in  all  probability,  beci^ne  an- 
chylosed  or  stiff.  We  may  in  great  measure  ascertain  the  existence  of 
inflammation  by  the  animal  j)lacing  the  limb  in  a  bent  position,  and  keep- 
ing it  in  motion  by  pawing  from  uneasiness.  There  are  various  methods 
of  closing  an  o[)en  joint.  A  simple,  and  often  a  very  effective  one,  is  by 
means  of  a  solution  of  bichloride  of  mercury  in  a  solution  of  spirits 
of  wine,  and  applied  to  the  wound  several  times  a  day  by  inoans  of  a  fea- 
ther, till  the  .synovia  ceases  to  flow.  Another  is  the  application  of  the 
hot  iron.  The  object  in  both  these  modes  is  to  coagulate  the  synovia,  so 
as  to  form  a  temporary  plug  to  the  joint,  till  nature  has  time  to  close  it 
more  permanently.  If  either  of  these  m(^tliods  are  adopted,  it  will  not  do 
to  apply  a  poultice  afterwards,  as  stated  in  the  text    as  this  would  Avasb 


256  THE    LEG SPLINT. 


:^HE  LEG. 


The  part  of  the  limb  between  the  knee  and  the  fetlock  consists 
of  three  bones — a  large  one  before,  called  the  cannon  or  shank, 
and  two  smaller  or  siMnt  bones  behind  (see  N,  Fig.  1). 

The  smaller  bones  are  placed  behind  the  larger  ones  on  either 
side.  They  are  united  to  the  larger  bone  by  a  ligamentous  sub- 
stance. They  reach  from'  one-half  to  two-thirds  of  the  length 
of  the  shank-bone,  and,  through  their  whole  extent,  are  united 
to  it  by  this  substance  ;  but,  from  the  animal  being  worked  too 
soon,  or  too  violently,  inflammation  ensues — bony  matter  is  de- 
posited in  the  room  of  the  ligamentous,  and  a  bony  union  takes 
place  instead  of  the  natural  one.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the 
ease  of  motion  is  somewhat  lessened  by  this  substitution  of  bone, 
but  other  elastic  principles  are  probably  called  into  more  power- 
ful action,  and  the  value  of  the  horse  is  not  perceptibly  impaired, 
although  it  is  hard  to  say  what  secret  injury  may  be  done  to  the 
neighboring  joints,  and  the  cause  of  which,  the  lameness  not 
appearing  until  a  distant  period,  is  not  suspected. 

In  this  process,  however,  mischief  does  often  immediately  ex- 
tend to  the  neighboring  parts.  The  disposition  to  deposit  bone 
reaches  beyond  the  space  between  the  larger  and  smaller  bones 
of  the  leg,  and  a  tumor,  first  callous,  and  afterwards  bony,  is 
found,  with  part  of  its  base  resting  on  the  line  of  union  betwe(?n 
these  bones.     This  is  called  a 

SPLINT. 

The  splint  is  invariably  found  on  the  outside  of  the  small  bones 
and  generally  on  the  inside  of  the  leg  (c.  Fig.  41).  The  inner 
bone  receives  the  whole  weight  transmitted  to  the  small  bone  of 
the  knee  ;  and  the  absurd  practice  of  many  smiths  of  raising  the 
outer  heel  of  the  shoe  to  an  extravagant  degree,  throws  still 
more  of  the  weight  of  the  horse  on  the  inner  splint-bone. 

Bony  tumors  occasionally  appear  on  other  parts  of  the  shank 
bone,  being  the  consequence  of  violent  blows  or  other  external 
injuries,  and  are  commonly  called  splints. 

away  the  plug  which  we  have  sought  to  form.  Another  method  of  treat- 
ment is  to  apply  compresses  of  bandages  and  paste,  letting  them  continue 
on  for  a  length  of  time,  so  as  to  close  the  joint  mechanically.  Over  these 
bandages  we  may  apply  linseed  poultices  with  advantage,  as  by  so  doing 
we  keep  down  inflammation  without  washing  coagulatefl  synovia  from  the 
wound.  By  this  means  we  may  succeed  even  in  formidable  wounds,  if  in- 
flammation has  not  been  previously  set  up  in  the  joint.  It  is  very  desirable 
that  the  horse  should  keep  the  limb  in  a  straight  position ;  lying  down 
should  therefore  be  avoided,  and  it  is  often  necessary  to  support  the  ani 
aial  in  slings. 


SPLINT SPEEDY    CUT  257 

When  the  splint  of  either  sort  is  forming,  the  horse  is  frequently 
lame,  for  the  periosteum  or  membrane  covering  the  bone  is  pain- 
fully stretched  ;  but  when  this  membrane  has  accommodated  it- 
self to  the  tumor  that  extended  it,  the  lameness  subsides,  and  al- 
together disappears,  unless  the  splint  be  in  a  situation  in  which  it 
interferes  with  the  action  of  some  tendon  or  ligament,  or  in  the 
'mmcdiate  neighborhood  of  a  joint.  Pressing  upon  a  Hgament  or 
tendon,  it  may  cause  inflammation  of  those  substances  ;  or,  being 
close  to  a  joint,  it  may  interfere  with  its  action.  Splints,  then, 
do  not  necessarily  cause  unsoundness,  and  may  not  lessen  in  the 
slightest  degree  the  action  or  value  of  the  horse.  All  depends  on 
their  situation. 

The  treatment  of  splints^  if  it  is  worth  while  to  meddle  with 
them,  is  exceedingly  simple.  The  hair  should  be  closely  shaved 
oft^  round  the  tumor ;  a  little  strong  mercurial  ointment  rubbed 
in  for  two  days  ;  and  this  followed  by  an  active  blister.  If  the 
splint  is  of  recent  formation,  it  will  generally  yield  to  this,  or  to 
a  second  blister.  Should  it,  however,  resist  these  applications,  it 
not  unli'equently  happens,  that  it  will  afterwards,  and  at  no  great 
distance  of  time,  begin  rapidly  to  lessen,  and  quite  disappear. 
There  is  also  a  natural  process  by  which  the  greater  part  of  splints 
disappear  when  the  horse  grows  old. 

The  hydriodate  of  potash,  made  into  an  ointment  with  lard, 
and  a  small  quantity  of  mercurial  ointment  being  added,  will 
fi'equently  cause  the  disappearance  of  a  splint  of  either  sort.=^ 

Speedy  Cut. — The  inside  of  the  leg,  immediately  under  the 
knee,  and  extending  to  the  head  of  the  inner  splint-bone,  is  sub- 
ject to  injury  from  what  is  termed  the  s.peedy  cut.  A  horse  with 
high  action,  and  in  the  fast  trot,  violently  strikes  this  part,  either 
with  his  hoof  or  the  edge  of  the  shoe.  Sometimes  bony  enlarge- 
ment is  the  result ;  at  others,  great  heat  and  tenderness  ;  and  the 
'oain  from  the  blow  seems  occasionally  to  be  so  great,  that  the 
Horse  drops  as  if  he  were  shot.  The  only  remedy  is  to  take  care 
that  no  part  of  the  shoe  projects  beyond  the  foot ;  and  to  let  the 
inner  side  of  the  shoe — except  the  country  is  very  deep,  or  the 
horse  used  for  hunting — have  but  one  nail,  and  that  near  the  toe. 
This  part  of  the  hoof,  being  unfettered  with  nails,  will  expand 
when  it  comes  in  contact  with  the  ground,  and  contract  when  in 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — The  best  remedy  for  splints  is  unquestionably 
subctitaceous  periosteotomy,  an  operation  which  consists  in  making  a  smaU 
incision  through  the  skin  at  the  lower  part  of  the  splint,  and  passing  up  a 
small  knife  made  for  the  purpose  under  the  skin,  and  so  dividing  the  peri- 
osteum, as  the  membrane  which  covers  the  bone  is  termed.  This  relieves 
the  tension,  and  thus  puts  a  stop  to  the  irritation,  and  its  consequence,  the 
bony  deposition.  A  small  seton  is  left  in  the  wound  for  a  fortnight,  which 
keeps  it  open  and  produces  some  counter  irritation. 


258  SPRAIN    OF    THE    BAGK-SINEWS. 

air  and  relieved  from  the  pressure  of  the  weight  ol  the  body ;  and, 
although  this  contraction  is  to  no  great  extent,  it  will  be  sufficient 
to  carry  the  foot  harmlessly  by  the  leg.  Care  should  likewise  be 
taken  that  the  shoe  is  of  equal  thickness  at  the  heel  and  the  toe. 
and  that  the  bearing  is  equal  on  both  sides. 

Tied  in  Below  the  Knee. — Immediately  under  the  knee,  is 
one  of  those  ligamentous  rings  by  which  the  tendons  are  so  use- 
fully bound  down  and  secured  ;  but  if  the  hinder  bone  of  the 
knee,  the  trapezium,  described  at  p.  250,  is  not  sufficiently  prom- 
inent, this  ring  will  confine  the  flexor  tendons  of  the  foot  too 
tightly,  and  the  leg  will  be  very  deficient  in  depth  under  the  knee. 
This  is  called  being  tied  in  beioiv  the  knee  (b,  Fig.  41).  Every 
horseman  recognizes  it  as  a  most  serious  defect.  It  is  scarcely 
compatible  with  speed,  and  most  assuredly  not  with  continuance. 
Such  a  horse  cannot  be  ridden  far  and  fast,  without  serious  sprain 
of  the  back  sinews.  There  are  few  more  serious  defects  than  this 
tying-in  of  the  tendons  immediately  below  the  knee.  The  fore- 
leg may  be  narrow  in  front,  but  it  must  be  deep  at  the  side,  in 
order  to  render  the  horse  valuable  ;  for  then  only  Avill  the  tendons 
have  free  action,  and  the  muscular  force  be  exerted  in  the  most 
advantageous  direction.  There  are  few  good  race-horses  whose 
legs  are  not  deep  below  the  knee.  If  there  are  exceptions,  it  is 
because  their  exertion,  although  violent,  is  but  of  short  continuance. 

In  a  perfect  leg,  and  towards  its  lower  part,  there  should  be 
three  distinct  and  perfect  projections  visible  to  the  eye,  as  well  as 
perceptible  by  the  finger — the  sides  of  the  shank-bone  being  the 
most  forward  of  the  three  ;  next,  the  suspensory  ligament ;  and, 
hindermost  of  all,  the  flexor  tendons.  When  these  are  not  to  be 
distinctly  seen  or  felt,  or  there  is  considerable  thickening  about 
them  and  between  them  {d,  Fig.  41),  and  the  leg  is  round  instead 
of  flat  and  deep,  there  has  been  what  is  commonly,  but  improp- 
erly, called^^ 

SPRAIN  OF  THE  BACK-SINEWS. 

These  tendons  are  enclosed  in  a  sheath  of  dense  cellular  sub- 
stance, in  order  to  confine  them  in  their  situation,  and  to  defend 
them  from  injury,     Between  the  tendon  and  the  sheath,  there  is 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — We  cannot  agree  with  the  author  when  he  says 
that  there  are  few  good  race-horses  but  what  are  deep  in  the  leg  below  the 
knee.  Very  many  first  class  race-horses  have  very  faulty  fore-legs,  being 
slight  and  tottering  below  the  knee.  It  is  well  known  to  trainers  that  such 
legs  often  stand  their  work  very  well,  for  race  horses  require  strength  rather 
In'the  extensors  than  in  the  flexors  of  the  limb.  Their  action  should  be  long 
and  low,  not  high  and  round,  which  high  withers  and  strong  flexor  musclea 
are  calculated  to  produce.  Thus  what  would  be  a  grievous  fault  in  almost 
every  other  kind  of  horse,  is  not,  with  a  horse  kept  purely  for  the  turf 


SPRAIN    OF    THE    BACK-SINEWS  259 

a  mucous  fluid  to  prevent  friction  ;  but  when  tlie  horse  has  been 
over-worked,  or  put  to  sudden  or  violent  exertion,  the  tendon 
presses  upon  the  dehcate  membrane  hning  the  sheath,  and  in- 
flammation is  produced.  A  difi^erent  fluid  is  then  thro^vn  out, 
which  coagulates,  and  adhesions  are  formed  between  the  tendon 
and  the  sheath,  and  the  motion  of  the  limb  is  more  difficult  and 
painful.  At  other  times,  from  violent  or  long-continued  exertion, 
some  of  the  fibres  which  confine  the  tendons  are  ruptured.  A 
slight  injury  of  this  nature  is  called  a  sprain  of  the  back-sinews 
or  tendons  ;  and,  when  it  is  more  serious,  the  horse  is  said  to  have 
broken  down.  It  should  be  remembered,  however,  that  the  ten- 
don can  never  be  sprained,  because  it  is  inelastic  and  incapable 
of  extension  ;  and  the  tendon,  or  its  sheath,  are  scarcely  ever 
ruptured,  even  in  what  is  called  breaking  down.  The  first  injury 
is  confined  to  inflammation  of  the  sheath,  or  rupture  of  a  few  of 
the  attaching  fibres.  This  inflammation,  however,  is  often  very 
great,  the  pain  intense,  and  the  lameness  excessive.  The  anguish 
expressed  at  every  bending  of  the  limb,  and  the  local  swelling 
and  heat,  will  clearly  indicate  the  seat  of  injury. 

In  every  serious  afiection  of  this  kind,  care  should  be  taken 
that  the  local  inflammation  does  not  produce  general  disturbance 
of  the  system  ;  and,  therefore,  the  horse  should  be  bled  and  phys- 
icked. The  bleeding  may  be  at  the  toe,  by  which  an  important 
local,  as  well  as  general,  eflect  will  be  produced.  The  vessels  of 
the  heart  will  be  relieved,  while  fever  will  be  prevented.  [For 
directions  for  bleeding  at  the  toe,  see  Art.   "  Bleeding,"  p.   190.] 

As  a  local  application,  no  hot  farrier's  oil  should  come  near  the 
part,  but  the  leg  should  be  well  fomented  with  warm  water  two 
or  three  times  in  the  day,  and  half  an  hour  at  each  time.  Be- 
tween the  fomentations,  the  leg  should  be  enclosed  in  a  poultice 
of  linseed-meal.  Any  herb  that  pleases  the  owner  may  be  added 
to  the  fomentation,  or  vinegar  or  Goulard's  extract  to  the  poultice  ; 
for  the  beneficial  effect  of  both  depends  simply  on  the  warmth  of 
the  water  and  the  moisture  of  the  poultice.  All  stimulating  ap- 
plications will  infallibly  aggravate  the  mischief. 

The  horse  beginning  to  put  his  foot  better  to  the  ground,  and 
to  bear  pressure  on  the  part,  and  the  heat  having  disappeared,  the 
object  to  be  accomplished  is  changed.  Recurrence  of  the  mflam- 
mation  must  be  prevented,  the  enlargement  must  be  got  rid  of, 
and  the  parts  must  be  strengthened.  The  two  latter  purposes 
cannot  be  better  effected  than  by  using  an  elastic  bandage-, — one 
of  thin  flannel  will  be  the  best.  This  will  sustain  and  support 
the  limb,  while  by  few  means  are  the  absorbents  sooner  induced 
to  take  up  the  effused  coagulable  matter  of  which  the  swelling  is 
composed,  than  by  moderate  pressure.  If  the  bandage  is  kept 
wet  with  vinegar — to  each  pint  of  which  a  quarter  of  a  pint  of 


260  SPRAIN    OF    THE    BACK-SINEWS. 

spirit  of  wine  has  been  added — the  skin  will  be  slightly  stimu- 
lated and  contracted,  and  the  cold  produced  by  the  constant  evap 
oration  will  tend  to  subdue  the  remaining  and  deep-seated  inflam 
mation.  This  bandage  should  be  daily  tightened  in  proportion  as 
the  parts  are  capable  of  bearing  increased  pressure,  and  the  treat 
rnent  should  be  persisted  in  for  a  fortnight.  If,  at  the  expiration 
of  that  period,  there  is  no  swelling,  tenderness,  or  heat,  the  horse 
may  gradually,  and  very  cautiously,  be  put  to  his  usual  work, 

►Should  there,  however,  remain  the  slightest  lameness  or  con- 
siderable enlargement,  the  leg  must  be  blistered,  and,  indeed,  it 
would  seldom  be  bad  practice  to  blister  after  every  case  of  severe 
sprain,  for  the  inflammation  may  lie  deep  in  the  sheath  of  the 
tendons,  and  the  part  once  sprained  may  long  remain  weak,  and 
subject  to  renewed  injury,  not  only  from  unusual,  but  even  ordi- 
nary exertion.  If  a  blister  is  resorted  to,  time  should  be  given 
for  it  to  produce  its  gradual  and  full  effect,  and  the  horse  should 
be  afterwards  turned  out  for  one  or  two  months.  We  must  here 
be  permitted  to  repeat,  that  a  blister  should  never  be  used  while 
any  heat  or  tenderness  remains  about  the  part,  otherwise  the 
slightest  injury  may  be,  and  often  is,  converted  into  incurable 
lameness. 

Very  severe  sprains,  or  much  oftener,  sprains  badly  treated, 
may  require  the  application  of  the  cautery.  If  from  long-con- 
tinued inflammation  the  structure  of  the  part  is  materially 
altered — if  the  swelling  is  becoming  callous,  or  the  skin  is  thick 
ened  and  prevents  the  free  motion  of  the  limb,  no  stimulus  short 
of  the  heated  iron  will  be  sufficient  to  rouse  the  absorbents  to 
remove  the  injurious  deposit.  The  firing  should  be  applied  in 
straight  lines,  because  the  skin,  contracting  by  the  application 
of  the  cautery,  and  gradually  regaining  its  elastic  nature,  will 
thus  form  the  best  bandage  over  the  weakened  part.  It  should 
likewise  be  as  deep  as  it  can  be  applied  without  penetrating  the 
skin.  Here,  even  more  particularly  than  in  the  blister,  time 
should  be  given  for  the  full  action  of  the  firing.  Many  weeks 
pass  away  before  it  is  perfectly  accomplished  ;  and,  after  firing, 
the  horse  should  have  at  least  a  six  months',  and  it  would  be 
better  if  he  could  be  given  a  twelve  months'  run  at  grass.  ^ 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — In  the  original  description  of  the  anatomy  of 
these  parts  in  the  text  there  are  one  or  two  omissions  which  it  is  necessary 
to  supply.  The  office  of  these  tendons  is  two-fold,  viz.,  to  flex  the  limb  and 
also  to  sustain  a  great  portion  of  the  animal's  weight.  They  therefore  act 
both  as  sinews  and  as  ligaments.  In  the  latter  office  they  ate  greatly  as- 
sisted by  a  strong  ligamentous  substance  which  is  attached  to  the  common 
bone  above,  and  to  the  perforans  tendon  below,  for  which,  indeed,  it  forms 
a  sheath.  In  those  strains  of  the  tendons  where  the  enlargement  takes 
place,  just  under  the  knee,  this  ligament  is  the  seat  of  mischief;  and  the 
effect  is,  if  not  early  subduyd,  to  cause  a  contraction  of  the  smews,  and  con- 


VVIND-GALLS.  201 

In  examining  a  horse  for  the  purchase,  the  closest  attention 
should  be  paid  to  the  appearance  of  the  flex  or  tendons.  Li 
there  is  any  thickening  of  the  substance  around  them,  it  shows 
that  the  horse  has  been  strained,  and  is  not  sound.  He  has 
been  patched  up  for  awhile,  but  will  fail  again  when  severe 
exertion  is  required  from  him. 

WIND-GALLS. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  the  fetlock  there  are  occasionally  found 
considerable  enlargements,  oftener  on  the  hind-leg  than  the  fore- 
one,  which  are  denominated,  ivind-galls,  (e.  Fig.  41).  Between 
the  tendons  and  other  parts,  and  wherever  the  tendons  are  ex- 
posed to  pressure  or  friction,  and  particularly  about  their  ex- 
tremities, little  bags  or  sacs  are  placed,  containing  and  suffering 
to  ooze  slowly  from  them  a  mucous  fluid  to  lubricate  (make 
slippery)  the  parts.     From  undue  pressure,  and  that  most  fre- 

sequently  produce  first  a  straiglit  or  knuckling,  and  afterwards  an  over 
shot  fetlock,  so  that  the  animal  is  rendered  useless,  and  requires,  in  order 
to  restore  him  to  any  degree  of  usefulness,  the  performance  of  an  opera- 
tion denominated 

JDiuision  of  the  Flexor  tendons,  the  purpose  of  which  is  actually  to 
lengthen  the  sinews,  and  thus  restore  the  fetlock  to  its  original  position. 
The  operation  is  performed  midway  between  the  knee  and  the  fetlock, 
there  being  there  no  sheath  of  any  consequence,  and  no  synovial  cavity  to 
to  be  opened.  The  tendons  being  divided  recede  to  the  extent  of  from  one 
to  two  inches,  which  space  is,  iu  the  course  of  a  month,  filled  up  with  new 
tendinous  substance  thrown  out  from  the  divided  extremities  of  the 
sinews. 

In  the  ordinary  strains  of  the  flexor  tendons  the  seat  of  injury  is  usually 
either  midway  between  the  knee  and  the  fetlock,  or  somewhat  nearer  the 
latter  joint  than  the  former.  There  is  every  possible  variety  as  to  the 
amount  of  injury,  varying  from  a  slight  lameness  and  a  trivial  enlargement 
to  a  very  considerable  swelling,  and  excessive  pain,  inflammation,  and 
lameness.  It  has  been  doubted  whether  the  sinews  themselves  are  actually 
enlarged,  many  supposing  that  the  swelling  is  confined  to  their  sheathy  in- 
vestments. The  writer,  however,  is  assured  from  numerous  dissections, 
as  well  as  from  the  operation  before  alluded  to  of  dividing  the  sinews,  that 
they  actually  become  both  inflamed  and  enlarged. 

When  the  lameness  and  enlargement  are  excessive,  the  mischief  is  de- 
nominatea  in  racing  stables  a  break-down ;  but  in  such  instances  this  serious 
mischief  is  nearly  always  preceded  by  a  slight  strain,  which  is  allowed  to 
pass  either  unobserved  or  neglected,  for  we  often  find  that  no  men  are  so 
careless  and  neglectful  in  this  respect  as  those  who  are  intrusted  with  the 
most  valuable  of  all  horses. 

In  these  very  severe  cases  the  most  energetic  measures  should  be 
adopted,  such  as  copious  bleeding  from  the  arm,  repeated  if  necessary  once 
or  twice  ;  constant  warm  fomentations  for  some  hours  at  a  time ;  physic, 
and  after  some  days,  cold  applications  to  the  leg,  continued  without  inter- 
mission. By  such  treatment,  the  writer  has  succeeded  in  restoring  the 
animal  to  hunting  work,  when  strained  to  such  a  degree  as  to  be  incapable 
of  standbg  on  the  leg  for  a  week. 


262  WIND-GALLS. 

quently  caused  by  violent  action  and  straining  of  the  tendor;s, 
or,  often,  from  some  predisposition  about  the  horse,  these  little 
sacs  are  injured.  They  take  on  inflammation,  and  sometimes 
become  large  and  hardened.  There  are  few  horses  perfectly  free 
from  them.  When  they  first  appear,  and  until  the  inflamma- 
tion subsides,  they  may  be  accompanied  by  some  degree  of 
lameness  ;  but  otherwise,  except  when  they  attain  a  great  size, 
they  do  not  interfere  with  the  action  of  the  animal,  or  cause  any 
considerable  unsoundness.  The  farriers  used  to  suppose  that 
they  contained  wind — hence  their  name,  wind-galls  ;  and  hence 
the  practice  of  opening  them,  by  which  dreadful  inflammation 
was  often  produced,  and  many  a  valuable  horse  destroyed.  It 
IS  not  uncommon  for  wind-galls  entirely  to  disappear  in  aged 
horses. 

A  slight  wind-gall  will  scarcely  be  subjected  to  treatment ; 
but  if  these  tumors  are  numerous  and  large,  and  seem  to  impede 
the  motion  of  the  limb,  they  may  be  attacked  first  by  bandage. 
The  rollers  should  be  of  flannel,  and  soft  pads  should  be  placed 
on  each  of  the  enlargements,  and  bound  down  tightly  upon 
them.  The  bandage  should  also  be  wetted  with  the  lotion 
recommended  for  sprain  of  the  back-smews.  The  wind-gall  will 
often  diminish  or  disappear  by  this  treatment,  but  will  too  fre- 
quently return  when  the  horse  is  again  hardly  worked.  A  blis- 
ter is  a  more  efiectual,  but  too  often  temporary  remedy.  Wind- 
galls  will  return  with  the  renewal  of  work.  Firing  is  still  more 
certain,  if  the  tumors  are  sufficiently  large  and  annoying  to  jus- 
tify our  having  recourse  to  measures  so  severe  ;  for  it  will  not 
only  effect  the  immediate  absorption  of  the  fluid,  and  the  reduc- 
tion of  the  swelling,  but,  by  contracting  the  skin,  will  act  as  a 
permanent  bandage,  and  therefore  prevent  the  reappearance  of 
the  tumor.  The  iodine  and  mercurial  ointments  have  occasion- 
ally been  used  with  advantage  in  the  proportion  of  three  parts 
of  the  former  to  two  of  the  latter.^ 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — Numerous  {.lissections  of  these  wind-galls;  have 
enabled  us  to  give  a  different  explanation  from  that  stated  in  the  text. 
They  appear  to  be  of  two  kinds,  those  situated  between  the  suspensory- 
ligaments  and  the  flexor  tendons,  and  which  are  the  most  connnon,  and 
those  formed  between  the  suspensor}'^  ligaments  and  the  bone  in  front,  in 
each  case  immediately  above  the  fetlock  joint.  Now  the  former  wind- 
falls consist  in  an  extension  of  the  investment  of  the  sheath  of  the  tiexor 
perforans  formed  for  it  by  the  perforatus,  and  the  latter  a  distension  of  the 
capsular  ligaments  of  the  joint  itself  In  each  a  synovial  cavity  is  effected, 
and  consequently  the  wind-gall  cannot  be  opened  without  considerable  dan- 
ger. They  rarely  occasion  lameness  unless  attended  with  considerable 
inflammation  or  ossification  of  the  neighboring  parts,  or  a  solidifi'^ation  of 
the  synovia  (joint  oil).  When  this  is  the  case  the  treatment  advis«^.^  i^  the 
text  should  he  adopted.  ^ 


THE    PASTERNS. 


2C3 


THE   PASTERNS 
Fig.  81. 


X    t 


r  ?> 


a  The  shank-bone. 

b  The  upper  and  larger  pastern-bone. 

c  The  sessamoid-bone. 

d  The  lower  or  smaller  pastern-bone. 

e  The  navicular  or  shuttle-bone. 

/The  coffin-bone,  or  bone  of  the  foot. 

§•  The  suspensory  ligament,  inserted  into  the  sessamoid-bone. 

fi  A  continuation  of  the  suspensory  ligament,  inserted  into  the  an  aller  pastern- 
bone. 

i  The   small  inelastic  ligament,  tying  down  the  sessamoid-bone  to  the  larger 
pastern-bone. 

k  A  long  ligament  reaching  from  the  pastern-bone  to  the  knee. 

I  The  extensor  tendon  inserted  into  both  the  pasterns  and  the  coffin-bone. 
m  The  tendon  of  the  performing  flexor  inserted  into  the  coffin-bone,  after  haviag 
passed  over  the  navicular  bone. 

n  The  seat  of  the  navicular  joint  lameness. 

o  The  inner  or  sensible  frog. 

p  The  cleft  of  the  horny  frog. 

q  A  ligament  uniting  the  navicular  bone  to  the  smaller  pastern. 

r  A  ligament  uniting  the  navicular  bone  to  the  coffin-bone. 

s  The  sensible  sole,  between  the  coffin-bone  and  th-^  horny  sole. 

t  The  horny  sole. 

7i  The  crust  or  wall  of  the  foot. 

V  The  sensible  laminae  to  which  the  crust  is  attached. 

7C  The  coronary  ring  of  the  crust. 

X  The  covering  of  the  coronary  ligament  from  which  the  crust  is  secreted. 

•z  Place  of  bleeding  at  the  toe. 


264  THE    PASTERNS. 

At  the  back  of  the  shank  just  below  the  knee,  and  in  the  space 
between  the  sphnt  bones,  is  the  susiJenwrTj  ligament,  admirably 
adapted  to  prevent  concussion.  It  originates  from  the  head  of 
the  shank-bone,  and  is  inserted  in  the  sessamoids.  The  pasterns 
(see  Fig.  37)  are  united  to  the  shank  in  an  oblique  direction,  dif- 
fering in  degree  in  the  different  breeds  of  horses,  and  in  each  adapt- 
ed to  the  purpose  for  which  that  breed  was  designed.  The  weight 
falls  upon  the  pastern  in  the  direction  of  the  shank-bone,  and  the 
pastern  being  set  on  obliquely,  a  portion  of  that  weight  must  oe 
communicated  to  the  sessamoids.  Much  concussion  is  saved  by 
the  yielding  of  the  pasterns,  in  consequence  of  their  oblique  direc- 
tion ;  and  the  concussion  which  would  be  produced  by  that  por- 
tion of  weight  which  falls  on  the  sessamoid  bones  is  completely 
destroyed,  for  there  is  no  bone  underneath  to  receive  it.  They 
are  suspended  by  this  ligament — an  elastAc  ligament,  which 
gradually  yields  to,  and  is  lengthened  by,  the  force  impressed 
upon  it,  and  in  this  gradual  yielding  and  lengthening,  materially 
lessening,  or  generally  preventing,  all  painful  or  dangerous  con- 
cussion. 

The  length  and  obliquity  of  the  pastern  vary  in  the  different 
breeds  of  horses,  and  on  it  depends  the  elastic  action  of  the  animal, 
and  the  easiness  of  his  paces.  The  pastern  must  be  long  in  pro- 
portion to  its  obliquity,  or  the  fetlock  will  be  too  close  to  the 
ground,  and,  in  rapid  action,  come  violently  into  contact  with  it. 
In  proportion  as  the  pastern  is  oblique  or  slanting,  two  conse- 
quences will  follow,  less  weight  will  be  thrown  on  the  pastern, 
and  more  on  the  sessamoid,  and,  in  that  proportion,  concussion 
will  be  prevented. 

Every  advantage,  however,  has,  to  a  certain  extent,  its  corre- 
sponding disadvantage.  The  long,  slanting  pastern  has  less 
strength,  and  will  be  more  subject  to  strains. 

The  long  and  slanting  pastern  is  advantageous  in  the  race- 
horse, from  the  springiness  of  action  and  greater  extent  of  stride 
by  which  it  is  accompanied.  A  less  degree  of  it  is  given  in  the 
nunter  who  is  to  unite  continuance  of  exertion  with  ease  of  pace. 
For  the  hackney  there  should  be  sufficient  obliquity  to  give  pleas- 
antness of  going,  but  not  enough  to  endanger  continuance  and 
strength.  In  the  cart-horse  the  pasterns  are  short  and  upright. 
Except  a  horse  for  general  purposes,  and  particularly  for  riding, 
is  very  hardly  used,  a  little  too  much  obliquity  is  a  far  less  evil 
than  a  pastern  too  upright.  While  the  jolting  of  the  upright  pas- 
tern is  an  insufferable  nuisance  to  the  rider,  it  is  injurious  and 
most  unsafe  to  the  horse,  and  produces  many  diseases  in  the  feet 
and  legs,  and  particularly  ringbone,  ossification  of  the  cartilage* 
and  contracted  feet. 


SUSPENSORY   LIGAMENT ^FETLOCK GPuOGGINESS.  266 


INJURIES  TO  THE  SUSPENSORY  LIGAMENT. 

The  suspensory  ligament  is  sometimes  strained  and  even  rup- 
tured by  extraordinary  exertion.  The  sessamoids,  which  in  their 
natural  state  are  suspended  by  it,  and  from  which-  function  its 
name  is  derived,  are  in  the  latter  case  let  down,  and  the  fetlock 
almost  touches  the  ground.  This  is  generally  mistaken  for  rup- 
ture of  the  flexor  tendon  ;  but  one  circumstance  will  sufficiently 
demonstrate  that  it  is  the  suspensory  ligament  which  is  concerned, 
viz.  :  that  the  horse  is  able  to  bend  his  foot.  Rupture  of  this  lig 
ament  is  a  bad,  and  almost  desperate  case.  The  horse  is  frequently 
lame  for  life,  and  never  becomes  perfectly  sound.  Keeping  him 
altogether  quiet,  bandaging  the  leg,  and  putting  on  a  high-heeled 
shoe,  will  afibrd  the  most  probable  means  of  relief. 

The  common  injury  to  this  ligament  is  sprain,  indicated  by 
lameness,  and  swelling,  and  heat,  more  or  less  severe  in  propor- 
tion as  the  neighboring  parts  are  involved.  This  will  sometimes 
yield  to  rest  and  cooling  treatment ;  but  if  the  cape  is  obstinate, 
*t  will  be  necessary  to  have  recourse  to  firing. 

THE  FETLOCK. 

The  fetlock-joint  is  a  very  complicated  one,  and  frr^m  the  stress 
which  is  laid  on  it,  and  its  being  the  principal  seat  of  motion  be- 
low  the  knee,  it  is  particularly  subject  to  injury.  There  are  not 
many  cases  of  sprain  of  the  back-sinew  that  are  not  ar^corapanied 
by  inflammation  of  the  ligaments  of  this  joint ;  and  numerous 
supposed  cases  of  sprain  higher  up  are  simple  affection?  of  the  fet- 
lock. It  requires  a  great  deal  of  care,  and  some  experience,  to 
distinguish  the  one  from  the  other.  The  heat  about  the  part,  and 
the  point  at  which  the  horse  least  endures  the  pressure  of  the 
finger,  will  be  the  principal  guides.  Occasionally,  by  the  appli- 
cation of  cooling  lotions,  the  inflammation  may  be  subdued,  but, 
at  other  times,  the  horse  sutlers  dreadfully,  and  is  unable  to  .stand 
A  serious  affection  of  the  fetlock-joint  demands  treatment  more 
prompt  and  severe  than  that  of  the  sheaths  of  the  tendons. 

GROGGINESS. 

The  peculiar  knuckling  of  the  fetlock-joint,  and  the  tottering  ol 
the  whole  of  the  fore-leg,  known  by  the  name  of  grogginess,  and 
which  is  so  often  seen  in  old  and  over- worked  horses,  is  seldom  an 
affection  of  either  the  fetlock  or  the  pastern-joints  simply.  In 
deed  it  is  difficult  to  fix  on  any  particular  joint,  unless  it  is  that 
.which  is  deep  in  the  foot,  and  where  the  flexor  tendon  runs  over 

L 


266  CUTTING THE    PASTERNS. 

the  navicular  bone.  It  seems  oftenest  to  be  a  want  of  power  in 
the  ligaments  of  the  joints  generally,  produced  by  frequent  and 
severe  sprains,  or  by  ill-judged  and  cruel  exertion.  Professor 
Stewart  very  truly  says,  that  "it  is  common  among  all  kinds  of 
fast  workers,  and  long  journeys  at  a  fast  pace  will  make  almost 
any  horse  groggy.  Bad  shoeing  and  want  of  stable  care  may 
help  to  increase,  but  never  can  alone  produce  grogginess.  It  is 
one  of  the  evils  of  excessive  work."  In  the  majority  of  cases  it 
admits  of  no  remedy.* 

CUTTLN-G. 

The  inside  of  the  fetlock  is  often  bruised  by  the  shoe  or  the  hoof 
of  the  opposite  foot.  Many  expedients  used  to  be  tried  to  remove 
this  ;  the  inside  heel  has  been  raised  and  lowered,  and  the  out- 
side raised  and  lowered  ;  and  sometimes  one  operation  has  suc- 
ceeded, and  sometimes  the  contrary  ;  and  there  was  no  point  so 
involved  in  obscurity,  or  so  destitute  of  principles  to  guide  the 
practitioner.  The  most  successful  remedy,  and  that  which  in  the 
great  majority  of  cases  supersedes  all  others,  is  Mr.  Turner's  shoe, 
of  equal  thickness  from  heel  to  toe,  and  having  but  one  nail,  and 
that  near  the  toe  on  the  inside  of  the  shoe  ;  care  being  taken  that 
the  shoe  shall  not  extend  beyond  the  edge  of  the  crust,  and  that 
the  crust  shall  be  rasped  a  little  at  the  quarters. 

There  are  some  defects,  however,  in  the  natural  form  of  the 
horse,  which  are  the  causes  of  cutting,  and  which  no  contrivance 
will  remedy  ;  as  when  the  legs  are  placed  too  near  to  each  other, 
or  when  the  feet  are  turned  inward  or  outward.  A  horse  with 
these  defects  should  be  carefully  examined  at  the  inside  of  the  fet- 
lock, and  if  there  are  any  sore  or  callous  places  from  cutting, 
there  will  be  sufficient  reason  for  rejecting  the  animal.  Some 
horses  will  cut  only  when  they  are  fatigued  or  lame,  and  old ; 
many  colts  will  cut  before  they  arrive  at  their  full  strength.! 

THE   PASTERNS. 

A  consideration  of  the  pasterns  will  throw  more  light  upon  this 
and  other  diseases  of  the  extremities. 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — The  term  grogc/lncss  is  applied  by  horsemen  to 
slight  lameness,  which  goes  off  with  exercise,  and  whicli  is  shown  in  the  sta- 
ble by  the  animal  pointing  the  affected  foot,  'f  he  seat  of  tlie  disease  is  the 
navicular  joint,  and  it  is  altogether  miconnected  witli  that  knuckling  of  the 
fetlock  wiiich  is  often  seen  in  horses  much  worked,  and  which  appears  to  be 
owing  to  weakness  of  the  sinews,  principally  of  the  extensors. 

f  Note  by  Mr.  Spooiier. — This  evil  is  sometimes  removed  by  shoeing  the 
horse  very  thin  on  the  inside,  or  even  giving  him  a  three-quarter  slioe,  the 
tendency  of  which  plan  is  to  make  the  horse  carry  his  feet  wider  apart ;  but. 
in  some  cases  the  very  opposite  plan  is  found  the  best 


THE    PASTERNS. 


267 


The  iipjoer  pasteim  "bone  (5,  Fig.  37,  and  a,  in  Fig,  38,  and  b, 
m  Fig.  39,)  receives  the  lower  puUey-Uke  head  of  the  shank-bone, 
and  forms  a  hinge-joint  admitting  only  of  bending  and  extension, 
but  not  of  side  motion ;  it  Hkewise  forms  a  joint  with  the  sessa- 
moid-bones.  Its  lower  head  has  two  rounded  protuberances, 
which  are  received  into  corresponding  depressions  in  the  lower 
pastern.  On  either  side,  above  the  pastern-joint,  are  roughened 
projections  for  the  attachment  of  very  strong  ligaments,  both  in 
capsular  ligaments,  and  many  cross  ligaments,  which  render  the 
joint  between  the  two  pasterns  sufficiently  secure. 
Fig.  38.  Fig.  39. 

Fig.  38. 

a  The  upper  pastern. 

b  The  lower  pastern. 

c  The  navicular  bone. 

The  cofHn-bone. 


Fig.  39. 
a  The  sessamoid-bone. 
b  The  upper  pastern. 
c  The  lower  pastern. 
d  The  navicular  bone. 
e  The  coffin-bone,  with  the  horny  laminas. 


The  loiver  pastern  {d,  Fig.  37,  and  b,  in  the  first  figure,  and  c, 
ill  the  second  in  this  cut,)  is  a  short  and  thick  bone,  with  its  larger 
Lead  downward.     Its  upper  head  has  tAvo  depressions  to  receive  the 
Fig.  40.  protuberances  on  the  lower  head  of  the  upper 

bone,  bearing  some  resemblance  to  a  pully, 
but  not  so  decidedly  as  the  lower  head  of  the 
shank-bone.     Its  lower  head  resembles  that 
6M\T''^li!"\/  of  the  other  pastern,  and  has  also  two  prom- 

inences, somewhat  resembling  a  pulley,  by 
which  it  forms  a  joint  with  the  colfiin-bone  ; 
and  a  depression  in  front,  corresponding  with 
a  projection  in  the  coffin-bone.  There  are 
also  two  slight  depressions  behind,  receiving 
eminences  of  the  navicular  bone.  Neither 
of  these  joints  admits  of  any  lateral  motion. 
The  ligaments  of  this  joint,  both  the  capsu- 
lar and  the  cross  ones,  are,  like  those  of  the 
pastern-joint,  exceedingly  strong.  The  ten- 
don of  the  extensor  muscle  is  inserted  into 


26S  SPRAIN    OF    THE    COFFIN-JOINT RINGBONE. 

the  fore-part,  both  of  the  upper  and  lower  pastern-bone&,  as 
well  as  mto  the  upper  part  of  the  coiFin-bone  (/,  Fig.  o7) ; 
and  at  the  back  of  these  bones  the  suspensory  ligament  is 
expanded  and  inserted,  while  a  portion  of  it  goes  over  the  ibre- 
part  of  the  upper  pastern  to  reach  the  extensor  tendon.  These 
attachments  hi  liront  of  the  bones  i:re  seen  in  P'ig.  40,  in  which  ci 
represents  the  lower  part  of  the  shank-bone  ;  b  the  sessamoid- 
bones  ;  c  the  upper  pastern  ;  d  the  lower  pastern  ;  and  e  the 
coffin-bone  ;  f  are  tlie  branches  of  the  suspensory  ligaments  going 
to  unite  with  the  extensor  tendon  ;  g  the  long  extensor  tendon  ;  h 
Lgaments  connecting  the  two  pastern-bones  together ;  and  i  the 
lateral  cartilages  of  the  foot. 


SPRAIN  OF  THE  COFFIIS'-JOINT. 

The  proof  of  this  is  when  the  lameness  is  sudden,  and  the  heal 
and  tenderness  are  principally  felt  round  the  coronet.  Bleeding 
at  the  toe,  physic,  fomentation,  and  blisters  are  the  usual  means 
adopted.  This  lameness  is  not  easily  removed,  even  by  a  blister  ; 
and  if  removed,  like  sprains  of  the  fetlock  and  of  the  back  sinews, 
it  is  apt  to  return,  and  finally  produce  a  great  deal  of  disorgani- 
zation and  mischief  in  the  foot.  Sprain  of  the  coffin-jointsome- 
times  becomes  a  very  serious  affair.  Not  being  always  attended 
by  any  external  swelling,  and  being  detected  only  by  heat  round 
the  coronet,  the  seat  of  the  lameness  is  often  overlooked  by  the 
groom  and  the  farrier  ;  and  the  disease  is  suftered  to  become  con- 
firmed before  its  nature  is  discovered. 

From  violent  or  repeated  sprains  of  the  pastern  or  coffin-joints^ 
or  extension  of  the  ligaments  attached  to  other  parts  of  the 
pastern-bones,  inflammation  takes  place  in  the  periosteum,  and 
bony  matter  is  formed,  which  often  rapidly  increases,  and  is  re- 
cognized by  the  name  of  =^ 

RINGBONE. 

Ringbone  is  is  a  deposit  of  bony  matter  in  one  of  the  pasterns, 
and  usually  near  the  joint.  It  rapidly  spreads,  and  involves  not 
only  the  pastern-bones,  but  the  cartilages  of  .the  foot,  and  spread- 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — Sprain  of  the  coffin-joint  is  extremely  rare,  the 
joint  being  so  weU  secured  from  injury  by  the  horny  box  in  which  it  is 
cased.  Its  hgaments  are,  however,  occasionally  strained,  which  may  be 
detected  by  heat  at  the  coronet  and  tenderness,  when  the  joint  is  wrenched 
laterally.  When  these  symptoms  are  absent,  we  may  safely  conclude  the 
disease  exists  elsewhere.  It  is  not  this,  but  the  navicular  disease,  which  is 
often  mistaken  for  shoulder  lameness.  This  disease,  when  it  does  occur 
:)ften  occasions  ossifications  of,  and  near,  the  side  cartilages  of  the  foot. 


RINGBONE. 


mg  around  tlie  pasterns  and  cartilages 
thus  derives  its  name.  Wiien  the  first\] 
de])osit  is  on  the  lower  pastern,  and  on 
both  sides  of  it,  and  produced  by  violent 
aiflammation  of  the  ligaments  of  the 
joints,  it  is  recognized  by  a  shght  en- 
largement, or  bony  tumor  on  each  side 
of  the  loot,  and  just  above  the  coronet, 
(See  /,  Fig.  41.)  Horses  with  short 
upright  joints,  and  with  small  feet  and 
high  action,  are  oftenest,  as  may  be  sup- 
posed, the  subjects  of  this  disease,  which 
is  the  consequence  either  of  concussion 
or  sprain  of  the  pastern-joints.  It  is 
also  more  frequent  in  the  hind  foot  than 
the  fore,  because,  from  the  violent  action 
of  the  hind  legs  in  propelling  the  horse 
forward,  the  pasterns  are  more  subject 
to  legamentary  injury  behind  than  be- 
fore :  yet  the  lameness  is  not  so  great 
there,  because  the  disease  is  confined 
principally  to  the  ligaments,  and  the 
bones  have  not  been  injured  by  con- 
cussion ;  while  from  the  position  of  the 
fore  limbs,  there  will  generally  be  in 
them  injury  of  the  bones  to  be  added 
to  that  of  the  ligaments.  In  its  early 
stage,  and  when  recognized  only  by  a 
bony  enlargement  on  both  sides  of  the 
pastern-joint,  or  in  some  few  cases  on 
one  side  only,  the  lameness  is  not  very 
considerable,  and  it  is  not  impossible  to 
remove  the  disease  by  active  blistering, 
or  by  the  application  of  the  cautery ; 
but  there  is  so  much  wear  and  tear  in 
this  part  of  the  animal,  that  the  inflam- 
mation and  the  disposition  to  the  for- 
mation of  bone  rapidly  spread.  The 
pasterns  first  become  connected  together 
by  bone  instead  of  ligament,  and  thence 
results  what  is  called  an  anchylosed 
or  fixed  joint.  From  this  joint  the  dis- 
ease proceeds  to  the  cartilages  of  the  foot, 
and  to  the  union  between  the  lower  pas- 
tern, and  the  coffin  and  navicular  bones. 
The  motion  cf  these  parts  likewise  is 


Fig.  41. 


270  RINGBONE. 

impeded  or  lost,  and  the  whole  of  the  foot  becomes  one  mass 
of  spongy  bone.  From  a  disposition  to  spread,  and  at  first  around 
the  paste rn-joint,  which  is  situated  just  above  the  coronet,  the 
disease  has  acquired  the  name  of  ringbone.* 

We  have  introduced  a  bird's-eye  view  of  some  of  the  principal 
lamenesses  to  which  the  fore  extremities  of  the  horse  are  sub- 
ject. 

At  «  is  a  representation  of  the  capped  hock,  oi  enlargement  of 
the  joint  of  the  elbow. 

h  is  the  tying-in  of  the  leg  below  the  knee. 

c  is  the  most  frequent  situation  of  splint  on  the  side  of 
the  shank-bone,  and  not  producing  lameness  after  its  first  forma- 
tion, because  it  does  not  interfere  wtih  the  motion  of  the  knee, 
nor  injure  the  supensory  ligament. 

d  is  the  situation  and  appearance  of  the  enlargement  accom- 
panying sprain  of  the  back  sinews.  This,  however,  is  an 
aggravated  case  ;  and  the  sprain  may  be  great,  and  the  lame- 
ness distressing,  without  all  this  swelling. 

e  is  the  place  of  wind-gall. 
•    /  gives  the  appearance  of  ringbone  when  it  first  appears  on 
the  side  of  the  pastern,   about  the  joint,   and  where   there   is 
naturally  some  prominence  of  bone. 

g  is  the  situation  of  sand-crack  in  the  fore-leg. 

h  the  situation  of  mallenders. 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Sjiooncr. — This  disease,  po  termed  because  it  constituted 
bony  growth  round  the  pastern-bones,  is  i>f  two  kinds,  which  are  distin- 
guislied  by  horsemen  as  true  and  false  ringbones.  'J'he  former  occurs  at 
the  pastern  joint,  and  generally  arises  from  strain  of  these  ligaments ;  but 
the  latter  consists  in  ossification  of  tiie  cartilages  of  *l^e  sides  of  the  foot, 
which  become  enlarged,  as  well  as  converted  into  Done.  This  is  less  fre- 
quently the  consequence  of  strains  than  the  other  disease,  and  it  is  oftener 
found  with  heavy  cartdiorses  than  with  lighter  liorses.  Indeed,  with  many 
horses  there  seems  a  predispositin  to  change  their  cartilaginous  strucure 
into  bone.  The  exciting  cause  of  these  false  ringbones  is  concussion,  pro- 
duced by  the  weight  of  the  animal  and  the  hardness  of  the  road  or  pave- 
ment. Thus,  on  the  London  stones  the  disease  is  very  common ;  for  the 
same  reason,  it  is  (he  fore  limbs  where  the  disease  occurs,  in  nine  cases  out 
of  ten.  Indeed,  we  have  found  that  all  ringbones  are  more  common  in  the 
fore  feet  than  in  the  hind  ones. 

Tiie  best  treatment  for  ringbones  of  either  kind  is,  after  the  inflammation 
has  been  in  great  measure  removed  by  cooling  applications,  to  fire  the  part, 
or  ol  her  wise  well  rub  in  the  iodide  of  mercury  ointment,  washing  ofi'  the 
effects  on  the  following  day,  and  thus  repeating  it  again  and  again.  We 
have  by  such  means  succeeded  in  removing  the  lameness,  diminishing  the 
enlargement,  and  restoring  the  animal,  in  many  cases,  to  a  state  of  useful- 
(less. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE    HIND    LEGS. 


THE  HAUNCH. 

The  haunch  (see  0,  p.  Fig.  1,  and  Fig.  33,)  is  composed  of 
three  bones.  The  first  is  the  iHum,  principally  concerned  in  the 
formation  of  the  haunch.  Its  extended  branches  behind  the 
flanks  are  prominent  in  every  horse.  Wheii  they  are  more  than 
usually  wide,  the  animal  is  said  to  be  ragged-ldpped.  A  branch 
runs  up  to  the  spine  at  the  commencement  of  the  sacral  vertebrae 
(E),  and  here  the  haunch-bones  are  firmly  united  with  the 
bones  of  the  spine.  The  ischium,  or  hip-bone,  is  behind  and 
below  the  ilium.  Its  tuberosities  or  prominences  are  seen  under 
the  tail  (Fig.  1).  The  pubis  unites  with  the  two  former  below 
and  behind. 

From  the  loins  to  the  setting-on  of  the  tail  a  line  sliould  be 
carried  on  almost  straight,  or  rounded  only  in  a  slight  degree. 
Thus  the  haunch-bones  will  be  most  oblique,  and  will  produce  a 
corresponding  obliquity,  or  slanting  direction,  in  the  thigh-bone — a 
direction  in  which,  as  stated  when  the  fore  legs  were  described, 
the  muscles  act  with  most  advantage.  This  direction  of  the 
haunch  is  characteristic  of  the  thorough-bred  horse  ;  and  by  the 
degree  in  which  it  is  found,  we  judge  to  a  considerable  extent  of 
the  breeding  of  the  animal.  If  the  bones  at  D  and  E,  (Fig.  1,) 
take  a  somewhat  arched  form,  as  they  do  in  the  cart-horse,  it  is 
evident  that  the  haunch-bone  0  would  be  more  upright.  The 
thigh-bone  P  would  likewise  be  so.  The  stifle  Q.  would  not  be 
so  far  under  the  body,  and  the  power  of  the  horse  would  be  con- 
siderably impaired.  The  oblique  direction  of  the  haunch  and 
thigh-bovies,  produced  by  the  stiaightness  of  the  line  of  the  spine, 
does  not,  as  is  commonly  supposed,  afibrd  increased  surface  for 
the  attachment  of  muscles,  but  places  the  muscles  in  a  direction 
to  act  with  great  advantage.  It  is  in  the  advantageous  direction, 
quite  as  much  as  in  the  bulk  of  the  muscle,  that  the  strength  of 
the  horse  consists. 


iJ72  THE    THIGH. 

Widtli  of  liaunch  is  a  point  of  great  consequence,  for  it  evi 
dently  affords  more  room  for  the  attacjiment  of  muscles  ;  and 
even  th)ugli  it  should  be  so  wide  as  to  subject  the  horse  to  the 
charg^e  of  being  ragged-hipped,  and  may  somewhat  offend  the 
eye,  it  will  not  often  be  any  detriment  to  action.  If  the  loins 
are  broad  and  the  horse  well  ribbed  home,  the  protuberances  of 
the  hip-bones  can  scarcely  be  too  far  apart.  Many  a  ragged- 
hipped  horse  has  possessed  both  fleetncss  and  strength,  while  but 
few  that  were  narrow  across  the  haunch  could  boast  of  the  latter 
quality. 

The  only  portion  of  these  bones  exposed  to  injury  or  fracture 
are  the  prominences  of  the  haunch.  A  fall  or  blow  may  chip  off 
or  disunite  a  portion  of  them,  and,  if  so,  there  are  no  means  of 
forcibly  bringing  the  disunited  parts  together  again,  and  retain- 
ing them  in  their  natural  position.  The  power  of  nature,  how- 
ever, will  gradually  unite  them,  but  that  union  will  be  at- 
tended by  deformity  and  lameness.  A  charge,  or  very  strong 
adhesive  plaster,  across  the  haunch  may  be  useful,  as  helping,  in 
gome  slight  degree,  to  support  the  parts,  and  hold  them  together. 
[See  "charge"  in  list  of  medicines.] 

THE  THIGH. 

In.  the  loAver  and  fore  part  of  the  hip-bones  is  a  deep  cavity  or 
cup  to  receive  the  head  of  the  thigh-bone.  The  thigh-bone  is 
both  the  largest  and  strongest  in  the  frame.  Its  lower  extremity  is 
complicated  in  its  form.  It  consists  of  two  prominences,  which  are 
received  into  corresponding  depressions  in  the  next  bone,  and  a 
hollow  in  front,  in  which  the  bone  of  the  laiee  or  stifle  plays  as 
over  a  perfect  pully. 

The  muscles  of  the  hinder  extremity  are  more  powerful  than  those 
in  any  other  part  of  the  frame,  and  they  are  covered  by  a  strong 
tendinous  coat  or  membrane,  intended  to  confine  them  in  their 
places.  Another,  thicker  and  firmer,  lies  below,  and  is  intended 
to  tighten  and  strengthen  the  first.  It  is  represented  at  a  in 
Fig.  42,  raised  and  turned  back.  For  practical  purposes,  and 
therefore  for  the  purposes  of  this  abridgment,  the  names  of  the 
muscles  of  the  hinder  parts — to  identify  the  localities  of  injuries 
and  diseases — is  all  that  is  necessary,  and  is  all  therefore  that  wiU 
06  given. 


MUSCLES    OF    THE    THIGH. 
cm     OF     THE    MUSCLES,    ETC.,    OF    THE    INSIDE    OF    THE    THIGH 


273 


h 


a  Inner  tendinous  coat  raised  and  turned  back. 
b  The  rectus,  or  straight  muscle. 
c   The  vastus,  or  great  muscle. 
d  The  sartorius,  or  tailor's  muscle. 
e  The  gracilis  muscle. 
f  The  pectineus  muscle. 

h  The  extensor  pedis,  or  extender  of  the  foot 
i   The  flexor  metatarsi,  or  bender  of  the  leg. 
k  The  poplitceus  muscle. 
/   The  peroiifeus  muscle. 
Ki  A  portion  of  j  in  the  next  cut. 
71  Inside  view  of  the  flexor,  or  perforatus  of  the  foot. 
o  The  flexor  perforatus,  or  perforating  flexor  of  the  foot 
p  The  course  of  the  principal  artery. 
q  Blood-vessels  belonging  to  the  groin. 
r  Tlie  large  cutaneous  vein. 

s   The  princi  pal  nerves  on  the  posterior  part  of  the  inside  of  the  thigh 
t   Principal  nerves  of  the  fore  part  of  the  inside  of  the  thigh. 
u  The  ligamentous  bands  confining  the  tendons  at  the  bending  of  the  Lc-ik 
18 


274 


MUSCLES    OF    THE    THIGH. 


We  now  turn  to  some  of  the  muscles,  &c.,  that  are  evident  to 
the  eye  on  the  outside  of  the  thigh. 


CUT    OF    THE    MUSCLES,    ETC.,    OF    THE    OUTSIDE    OF    THE    THIGIr 
Fig.  43. 


^'^.^ 


c  The  great  glutceus  muscle. 

e   Biceps  femoris,  or  two-headed  muscle. 

/  Is  a  continuation  of  the  membrane  seen  at  a,  in  the  preceding  cut. 

t    Glutasus  externus. 

j   A  powerful  muscle  to  extend  the  hock. 

k  A  slender  muscle  arising  from  the  head  of  the  fibula,  its  tendon  unitmg  wiUb 

that  of  the  perforating  muscle. 
m  The  peronseus  muscle. 
n  Extensor  pedis,  or  extendor  of  the  foot. 
o  Flexor  pedis,  or  bender  of  the  foot. 
p  Gives  the  course  of  the  anterior  arteries. 
0  Gives  the  course  of  the  principal  nerves. 


STIFLE.  275 

The  Os  Femoris,  or  Thigh  Bone  (see  P,  Fig.  1),  is  long  and 
cylindrical,  taking  an  oblique  direction  from  above,  downwards, 
and  from  behind,  forwards.  At  its  upper  extremities,  and  pro- 
jecting from  the  body,  is  a  thick  flattened  neck,  terminating  in  a 
large  smooth  hemispherical  head,  adapted  to  a  hollow,  in  the  su- 
perior point  of  the  haunch. 

This  bone  is  cominonly  called  the  Round  Bone.  It  has,  in 
some  rare  instances,  been  dislocated  and  fractured.  It  is  much 
oftener  sprained,  but  not  so  frequently  as  the  groom  or  farrier 
imagines.  There  is  nothing  peculiar  in  the  lameness  to  detect 
injury  of  this  part,  except,  that  the  horse  will  drag  his  leg  aftei 
him.  Injury  of  the  round  bone  will  be  principally  discovered  by 
heat  and  tenderness  in  the  situation  of  the  'oint. 

A  part  so  deeply  situated  is  treated  with  Ufficnlty.  Fomen- 
tions  should  at  first  be  used  to  abate  the  inflammation,  and,  aftei 
that,  an  active  blister  should  be  applied.  Strains  of  this  joint 
are  not  always  immediately  relieved,  and  the  muscles  of  the  limb 
in  some  cases  waste  considerably  :  it  therefore  may  be  necessary 
to  repeat  the  blister,  while  absolute  rest  should  accompany  every 
stage  of  the  treatment.  It  may  even  be  requisite  to  fire  the  part, 
— or,  as  a  last  resort,  a  charge  may  be  placed  over  the  joint,  and 
the  horse  turned  out  for  two  or  three  months.* 


THE  STIFLE. 

The  stifle  joint  and  the  patella  (answering  to  the  knee-pan  m 
the  human  subject)  are  seen  at  p.  45,  Fig.  1. 

The  stifle  joint  is  not  often  subject  to  sprain.  The  heat  and 
tenderness  will  guide  to  the  seat  of  injury.  Occasionally,  disloca- 
tion of  the  patella  has  occurred,  and  the  horse  drags  the  injured 
limb  after  him,  or  rests  it  on  the  fetlock  ;  the  aid  of  a  veteri- 
nary surgeon  is  here  requisite.  The  muscles  of  the  inside  of 
the  thigh  have  sometimes  been  sprained.  This  may  be  detected 
by  diffused  heat,  or  heat  on  the  inside  of  the  thigh  above  the  stifle. 


*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — This  disease  is  so  extremely  rare  that  we  have 
eeldom  met  with  an  instance.  The  joint  is  so  strong,  so  firmly  secured,  and 
so  well  protected,  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  become  injm'ed  without 
dislocation  occurring.  Unless  we  can  detect  heat  or  tenderness  about  the 
part,  we  are  by  no  means  justified  in  supposing  that  the  round  bone  is  the 
seat  of  injury.  For,  although  it  used  to  be  the  case  that  all  obscure  lame- 
nesses in  the  hind  extremity  were  referred  to  some  supposed  disease  in  this 
joint,  we  are  now  well  assured  by  post  mortem  examinations  that  in  these  ob- 
scure lamenesses  the  seat  of  disease  is  the  hock  joint. 

When  the  neighborhood  of  the  hip  joint  is  injured,  there  is  external  tender- 
ness, evinced  on  pressure,  and  the  mischief  is  produced  by  external  causas 


276 


HIND  LEGS. 


CUT  OF  THE  HAUNCH  AND  HIND  LEGS. 
44. 


Rest,  fomentations,  bleeding,  and  physic,  will  be  the  proper  means 
of  cure.* 

The  lower  bone  of  the 
thigh  is  double.  The  larger 
portion,  in  front,  extending 
from  the  stifle  to  the  hock, 
is  called  the  Tibia.  The 
smaller  bone,  or  fibula,  be- 
hind (see  U,  Fig.  1),  reaches 
not  more  than  a  third  of  the 
way  down.  It  is  united  to 
the  shank-bone,  like  the 
splint-bone,  by  a  cartilagin- 
ous substance,  which  is  soon 
changed  into  a  bony  one.  Of 
the  use  of  these  little  bones 
we  cannot  speak. 

The  lower  bone  of  the 
thigh  forms  an  angle  with 
the  upper  one,  being  the  re- 
verse of  that  which  exists 
between  the  upper  bone  and 
the  pelvis.  In  proportion  to 
the  acuteness  of  the  angle 
between  these  two  bones,  and 
the  degree  consequently  in 
which  the  stifle  is  brought 
under  the  horse,  will  be  the 
direction  given  to  the  mus 
cles  favorable  to  their  power- 
ful action.  [But,  to  prevent 
any  misapprehension  as  to 
the  external  form  of  the  parts 
which  indicates  what  is  here 
laid  down  as  the  proper  di- 
rections of  these  bones,  see 
the  remarks  on  the  Haunch 
in  the  beginning  of  this 
chapter. — Am.  Ed.] 

There  is  much  difference 
in  this  in   different    horses, 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — This  joint  and  its  connections  are  much  more 
frequently  the  seat  of  disease  than  the  joint  above.  From  its  situation,  it  i3 
rather  exposed  to  blows  from  the  horse  running  through  a  narrow  gateway^ 
and  thus  striking  his  stifle  against  the  post.  Swelling,  and  heat,  and  ten- 
derness, will  point  out  the  injured  part,  in  addition  to  which  the  horse  will 


DISEASES    OF    THE    HOCK.  277 

-nd  the  construction  of  this  part  of  the  frame  is  a  matter  worthy 
of  more  regard  than  is  generally  paid  to  it. 

This  part  of  the  thigh  should  likewise  be  long.  In  proportion 
to  the  length  of  the  muscle  is  the  degree  of  contraction  of  which 
it  is  capable ;  and  also  in  proportion  to  the  contraction  of  the 
muscle  is  the  extent  of  motion  in  the  limb  ;  but  it  is  still  more 
necessary  that  this  part  of  the  thigh  should  have  considerable 
muscle,  in  order  that  strength  may  be  added  to  such  extent  oi 
compass  of  motion.  Much  endurance  would  not  be  expected  from 
a  horse  with  a  thin  arm.  A  horse  with  thin  and  lanky  thighs 
will  not  possess  the  strength  wliich  considerable  exertion  would 
sometimes  require. 

THOROUGH-PIK 

Mention  has  been  made  of  wind-galls  and  their  treatment. 
A  similar  enlargement  is  found  above  the  hock,  between  the  ten- 
dons of  the  flexor  of  the  foot  and  the  extensor  of  the  hock.  As 
from  its  situation  it  must  necessarily  project  on  both  sides  of  the 
hock,  in  the  form  of  a  round  swelling,  it  is  called  a  thowugh- 
fin,  a  Fig.  44.  It  is  an  indication  of  considerable  work,  but  is 
rarely  attended  by  lameness.  The  mode  of  treatment  must  re- 
semble that  for  wind-galls.  Although  thorough-pin  cannot,  per- 
haps, be  pronounced  to  be  unsoundness,  it  behoves  the  buyer  to 
examine  well  a  horse  that  is  disfigured  by  it,  and  to  ascertain 
whether  undue  work  may  not  have  injured  him  in  other  respects. "^ 

THE  HOCK. 

This  is  a  most  important  joint,  occasionally  the  evident,  and 
much  oftener  the  unsuspected  seat  of  lameness,  and  the  proper 

etep  very  short  with  the  affected  limb,  being  unable  to  extend  it.  The  lat- 
ter symptom  will  be  also  present  when  the  ligaments  of  this  joint  have  been 
strained,  which,  though  very  unfrequent,  is  yet  occasionally  the  case. 

The  treatment  in  these  cases  consists  in  applying  fomentations  and  cooling 
applications  to  the  part  affected,  until  the  inflnmmation  is  subdued;  which, 
if  severe,  may  be  farther  assisted  by  bleeding  from  the  vein  inside  the  thigh, 
and  so  relieving  the  vessels  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  joint.  When  the  iu  ■ 
flammation  is  subdued,  a  blister  on  the  joint  will  be  desirable  in  cases  or 
strains,  but  will  rarely  be  required  when  a  blow  is  the  cause  of  injury. 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — The  usual  seat  of  thorough-pins  is  below,  and 
in  advance  of  the  point  of  the  hock,  and  it  consists  of  distension  of  the  cap- 
sular ligament  at  this  part,  and  often  a  giving  way  or  rupture  of  its  connec- 
tions. It  precisely  resembles  bog-spavin,  which  occurs  at  the  lower  and 
front  part  of  the  same  joint.  These  affections  may  occur  independently,  but 
more  frequently  are  found  together.  Though  seldom  productive  of  lame- 
ness, a  weakness  and  stiffness  of  the  part  is  often  the  consequence.  The 
best  treatment  is  either  the  application  of  the  firing-iron,  or  the  repeated 
rubbmg  in  of  the  ointment  of  oidine  and  mercury.  A  seton  over  the  part 
has  been  found  useful 


278 


THE    HOCK. 


formation  of  which  is  essentially  connected  with  the  value  of  the 
horse.     It  answers  to  the  ancle  in  the  human  being. 

Fiff..  45. 


a.  The  fibia. 

b.  The  astragalus. 

c.  Os  calchis,  or  bone  of  the  heel. 

d.  Os  euboides,  or  cube-formed  bone. 

e.  The  larger  cuneifora,  or  wedge-spaped  bone. 

f.  The  two  smaller  wedge-shaped  bones. 
fi-.  The  shank -bone. 

a.  The  splint-bones. 


ENLARGEMENT    OF    THE    HOCK.  279 

These  bones  are  all  connected  together  by  very  strong  liga- 
ments which  prevent  dislocation,  but  allow  a  slight  degree  of  mo- 
tion between  them,  and  the  surfaces  which  are  opposed  to  each 
other  are  thickly  covered  by  elastic  cartilage. 

Much  more  depends,  than  they  who  are  not  well  accustomed 
to  horses  imagine,  on  the  length  of  the  os  calcis  or  projection  of 
the  hock.  In  proportion  to  the  length  of  this  bone  will  two  pur- 
poses be  effected.  The  line  of  direction  will  be  more  advantage- 
ous, for  it  will  be  nearer  to  a  perpendicular,  and  the  arm  of  the 
lever  to  which  the  power  is  applied  will  be  lengthened,  and  thus 
mechanical  advantage  will  be  gained  to  an  almost  incredible  ex- 
tent. The  slightest  lengthening  of  the  point  of  the  hock  will 
wonderfully  tell  in  the  course  of  a  day's  work,  and  therefore  it  is 
that  the  character  of  the  os  calcis  is  of  such  immense  importance. 

The  line  of  direction  of  the  legs  beneath  the  hocks  should  not 
be  disregarded.  The  leg  should  descend  perpendicularly  to  the 
fetlock.  The  weight  and  stress  will  thus  be  equally  diffused,  not 
only  over  the  whole  of  the  hock,  but  also  the  pasterns  and  the 
foot.  Some  horses  have  their  hocks  closer  than  usual  to  each 
other.  The  legs  take  a  divergo-nt  direction  outward,  and  the  toes 
also  are  turned  outward.  These  horses  are  said  to  be  cat-  or 
cow-hocked.  They  are  generally  supposed  to  possess  considera- 
ble speed.  But  this  advantage  is  more  than  counterbalanced  by 
many  evils.  The  increased  contraction  of  the  muscles  is  an  ex- 
penditure of  animal  power ;  and,  as  already  stated,  the  weight 
and  the  concussion  being  so  unequally  distributed  by  this  forma- 
tion of  the  limbs,  some  part  must  be  over-strained  and  over- work- 
ed, and  injury  must  ensue.  On  this  account  it  is  that  the  cow- 
hocked  horse  is  more  subject  than  others  to  thorough-pin  and  spa- 
vin ;  and  is  so  disposed  to  curbs,  that  these  hocks  are  denominated 
by  horsemen  curby  hocks.  The  mischief  extends  even  farther 
than  this.  Such  a  horse  is  peculiarly  liable  to  wind-gall,  sprain 
of  the  fetlock,  cutting,  and  laiuckling. 

A  slight  inclination  to  this  form  in  a  strong  powerful  horse 
may  not  be  very  objectionable,  but  a  horse  decidedly  cow-hocked 
should  never  be  selected. 


ENLARGEMENT  OF  THE  HOCK. 

First,  there  is  inflammation,  or  spraiii  of  the  hock-joint  gene- 
rally, arising  from  sudden  violent  concussion,  by  some  check  at 
speed,  or  overweight,  and  attended  with  enlargement  of  the  whole 
joint,  and  great  tenderness  and  lameness.  This,  however,  like 
other  diffused  inflammations,  is  not  so  untractable  as  an  intense 
one  of  a  more  circumscribed  nature,  and  by  rest  and  fomentation, 


880  CURB. 

or,  perchance,  firing,  tlie  limb  recovers  its  action,  and  the  horse 
becomes  fit  for  ordinary  work. 

The  swelling,  however,  does  not  always  subside.  Enlarge- 
ment, spread  over  the  whole  of  the  hock-joint,  remains.  A  horse 
with  an  enlarged  hock  must  always  be  regarded  with  suspicion. 
In  truth,  he  is  unsound.  The  parts-,  altered  in  structure,  must 
be,  to  a  certain  degree,  weakened.  The  animal  may  discharge 
his  usual  work  during  a  long  period,  without  return  of  lameness ; 
but  if  one  of  those  emergencies  should  occur  when  all  his  ener- 
gies require  to  be  exerted,  the  disorganised  and  weakened  part 
will  fail. 

CURB. 

There  are  often  injuries  of  particular  parts  of  the  hock-joint. 
Curb  is  an  affection  of  this  kind.  It  is  an  enlargement  at  the 
back  of  the  hock,  three  or  four  inches  below  its  point.  It  is  rep- 
resented at  d,  Fig.  44,  and  is  either  a  strain  of  the  ring-like  liga- 
ment which  binds  the  tendons  in  their  place,  or  of  the  sheath  of 
the  tendons ;  oftener,  however,  of  the  ligament  than  of  the 
sheath.  Any  sudden  action  of  the  limb  of  more  than  usual  vio- 
lence may  produce  it,  and  therefore  horses  are  found  to  '  throw 
out  curbs'  after  a  hardly-contested  race,  an  extraordinary  leap, 
a  severe  gallop  over  heavy  ground,  or  a  sudden  check  in  the  gal- 
lop. Young  horses  are  particularly  liable  to  it,  and  horses  that 
are  coiv-hocked  (vide  Fig.  44), — whose  hocks  and  legs  resemble 
those  of  the  cow,  the  hocks  being  turned  inward,  and  the  legs 
forming  a  considerable  angle  outwards.  This  is  intelligible 
enough  ;  for  in  hocks  so  formed,  the  annular  ligament  must  be 
continually  on  the  stretch,  in  order  to  confine  the  tendon. 

Curbs  are  generally  accompanied  by  considerable  lameness  at 
their  first  appearance,  but  the  swelling  is  not  always  great. 
They  are  best  detected  by  observing  the  leg  sideway. 

The  first  object  in  attempting  the  cure  is  to  abate  inflamma- 
tion, and  this  will  be  most  readily  accomplished  by  cold  evapo- 
rating lotions  frequantly  applied  to  the  part.  Equal  portions  of 
spirit  of  wine,  water,  and  vinegar,  will  afford  an  excellent  appli- 
cation. It  will  be  almost  impossible  to  keep  a  bandage  on.  If 
the  heat  and  lameness  are  considerable,  it  will  be  prudent  to  give 
a  dose  of  physic,  and  to  bleed  from  the  subcutaneous  vein,  whose 
course  is  represented  at  r.  Fig.  42  ;  and  whether  the  injury  is  of 
the  annular  ligament,  or  the  sheath  of  the  tendon,  more  active 
means  will  be  necessary  to  perfect  the  cure.  Either  a  liquid 
blister  should  be  rubbed  on  the  part,  consisting  of  a  vinous  or 
turpentine  tincture  of  cantharides,  and  this  daily  applied  until 
some  considerable   swelling  takes  place ;  or,  what  is  th^  prefer 


BOG    SPAVIN.  281 

aWe  plan,  the  hair  should  be  cut  off,  and  the  part  blistered  aa 
Boon  as  the  heat  has  been  subdued.  The  blister  should  be  re- 
peated until  the  swelling  has  disappeared,  and  the  horse  goes 
sound.  In  severe  cases  it  may  be  necessary  to  fire  ;  but  a  fair 
trial,  however,  should  be  given  to  milder  measures.  If  the  iron 
is  used,  it  should  be  applied  in  straight  lines. 

There  are  few  lamenesses  in  which  the  absolute  and  long-con- 
tinued rest  is  more  requisite.  It  leaves  the  parts  materially  weak- 
ened, and,  if  the  horse  is  soon  put  to  work  again,  the  lameness 
will  frequently  return.  No  horse  that  has  had  curbs,  should  be 
put  even  to  ordinary  work  in  less  than  a  month  after  the  appa- 
rent cure  ;  and,  even  then,  he  should  very  gradually  resume  his 
former  habits. 

A  horse  with  a  curb  is  manifestly  unsound.  A  horse  with  the 
vestige  of  curb,  should  be  regarded  with  much  suspicion,  or  gene- 
rally condemned  as  unsound. 

Curb  is  also  an  hereditary  complaint,  and  therefore  a  horse 
that  has  once  suffered  from  it  should  always  be  regarded  with 
suspicion,  especially  if  either  of  the  parents  has  exhibited  it.=^ 

BOG   SPAVIN. 

The  hock  is  plentifully  supplied  with  reservoirs  of  mucus,  to 
lubricate  (make  slippery)  the  different  portions  of  this  compli- 

*  Note  hy  Ifr.  Spooner. — The  seat  of  this  injury  is  usually  the  flexor 
tendon  of  the  leg,  as  it  passes  through  a  sheath  at  the  back  of  the  hock.  It 
therefore  resembles  a  strain  of  the  back  sinews,  as  they  are  commonly 
called,  although  the  injury  is  seldom  so  severe  or  so  difficult  to  be  cured. 
There  are  many  degrees  as  to  the  amount  and  extent  of  the  injury  and 
the  corresponding  lameness.  It  is  by  far  the  best  plan  to  take  a  horse  out 
of  work  immediately  on  his  showing  lameness,  as  by  that  means  the  cure  can 
be  more  expeditiously  and  perfectly  effected ;  and  there  is  much  less  en- 
largement left  afterwards  than  when  a  horse  is  patched  up  by  the  applica- 
cation  of  stimulants,  and  worked  on,  thereby  renewing  the  strain  ao-ain  and 
again.  After  the  inflammation  has  been  quite  subdued  by  the  means  pointed 
out  in  the  text,  we  have  found  that  the  firing-iron  effects  the  most  perfect 
cure,  and  secures  the  animal,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  from  a  return  of  the 
lameness.  The  marks  of  the  iron,  in  cases  of  curbs,  need  not  be  great, 
and  never  operate  to  the  animal's  disadvantage.  We  have  always  found 
that  a  horse  which  has  been  fired  for  a  curb,  will  realize  as  much,  or  more, 
than  another  which  has  thrown  out  a  curb,  but  has  not  been  fired  for  it 
We  have  also  frequently  found  that  a  horse  fired  for  a  curb  has  remained 
BouniJ,  while  in  the  course  of  a  twelvemonth  he  has  thrown  out  a  curb  on 
the  other  hock,  even  though  he  had  been  fired  with  a  view  of  preventing  it, 
showing  that,  though  firing  may  act  as  a  cure,  it  does  not  act  as  a  pre- 
ventative. 

In  the  examination  of  horses  for  soundness,  we  have  not  hesitated  to 
pass  a  horse  with  a  curb,  requiring,  however,  a  special  warranty  that 
should  the  curb  cause  lameness  within  a  reasonable  time,  the  seller  shaU 
be  responsible. 


282  BOG    SPAVIN. 

cated  joint.  Some  of  these  are  found  on  the  inside  of  the  joint, 
which  could  not  be  represented  in  Fig.  45.  From  over  exertion 
of  the  joint,  they  become  inflamed,  and  considerably  enlarged. 
They  are  wind-galls  of  the  hock.  The  subcutaneous  vein  passes 
over  the  inside  of  the  hock,  and  over  some  of  these  enlarged 
mucous  reservoirs,  and  is  compressed  between  them  and  the 
external  integument — ^the  course  of  the  blood  is  partially  ar 
rested,  and  a  portion  of  the  vein  below  the'  impediment,  anrf 
between  it  and  the  next  valve,  is  distended,  and  causes  the  sofi 
tumor  on  the  inside  of  the  hock,  called  Bog  or  Blood  sjjavin. 

This  is  a  very  serious  disease,  attended  with  no  great,  but 
often  permanent  lameness,  and  too  apt  to  return  when  the  en- 
largement has  subsided  under  medical  treatment.  It  must  be 
considered  as  decided  unsoundness.  In  a  horse  for  slow  draught, 
it  is  scarcely  worth  while  even  to  attack  it.  And  in  one  des- 
tined to  more  rapid  action,  the  probability  of  a  relapse  should 
not  be  forgotten,  when  the  chances  of  success  and  the  expenses 
of  treatment  are  calculated. 

The  cause  of  the  disease — ^the  enlarged  mucous  sack  or  cap- 
sule— lies  deep,  and  is  with  difficulty  operated  upon.  Uniform 
pressure  would  sometimes  cause  the  absorption  of  the  fluid  con- 
tained in  cysts  or  bags  like  these,  but  in  a  joint  of  such  exten 
sive  motion  as  the  hock,  it  is  difficult,  or  almost  impossible,  to 
confine  the  pressure  on  the  precise  spot  at  which  it  is  required. 
Could  it  be  made  to  bear  on  the  enlarged  bag,  it  would  likewise 
press  on  the  vein,  and  to  a  greater  degree  hinder  the  passage  of 
the  blood,  and  increase  the  swelling  below  the  obstruction.  The 
old  and  absurd  method  of  passing  a  ligature  above  and  below 
the  enlarged  portion  of  the  vein,  and  then  dissecting  out  the 
tumor,  is  not,  in  the  advanced  stage  of  veterinary  science,  prac- 
tised by  any  surgeon  who  regards  his  reputation.  The  only 
method  of  relief  which  holds  out  any  promise  even  of  temporary 
success,  IS  exciting  considerable  inflammation  on  the  skin,  and 
thus  rousing  the  deeper-seated  absorbents  to  carry  away  the 
fluid  eftused  in  the  enlarged  bag.  For  this  purpose,  blisters  or 
firing  may  be  tried  :  but  in  the  majority  of  cases,  the  disease 
will  bid  defiance  to  all  appliances,  or  will  return  and  baffle  our 
hopes  when  we  had  seemed  to  be  accomplishing  our  object. 

A  horse  with  bog  spavin  will  do  for  ordinary  work.  He  may 
draw  in  a  cart,  or  trot  fairly  in  a  lighter  carriage,  with  little  detri- 
ment to  his  utility  ;  but  he  will  never  do  for  hard  or  rapid  work.* 

_  *  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — Our  observations  under  the  head  of  thorough- 
pins  equally  apply  here ;  only  that  bog  spavins  are  generally  more  serious, 
the  capsular  ligament  having  a  larger  amount  of  surface  at  the  lower  part 
of  the  hock  than  at  the  upper  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  it  is  the  joint 
itself  that  is  affected,  and  not  the  parts  exterior  to  it. 


BONE    SPAVIN.  283 


BONE  SPAVIN. 

A  still  more  formidable  disease  raiilvs  under  the  name  of 
Spavin,  and  is  an  affection  of  the  bones  of  the  hock-joint.  It 
has  been  stated  that  the  bones  of  the  leg,  the  shank-bone,  g, 
Fig.  45,  and  the  two  small  splint-bones  behind,  h,  support  thelowei 
layer  of  the  bones  of  the  hock.  The  cube-bone,  d,  rests  prin- 
cipally on  the  shanlv-bone,  and  in  a  slight  degree  on  the  outer 
splint-bone.  The  middle  wedge-bone,/,  rests  entirely  upon  the 
shank-bone,  and  the  smaller  wedge-bone  presses  (not  seen  in 
the  cut)  in  a  very  sliiiht  degree  on  the  shank-bone,  but  princi 
paliy,  or  almost  entirely,  on  the  inner  splint-bone.  Then  the 
splint-bones  sustain  a  very  unequal  degree  of  concussion  and 
weight.  Not  only  is  the  inner  one  placed  more  under  the  body, 
and  nearer  the  centre  of  gravity,  but  it  has  almost  the  Avhole  of 
tire  weight  and  concussion  communicated  to  the  smaller  cunei- 
form bone  carried  on  it.  It  is  not  therefore  to  be  wondered  at 
that  the  mner  splint-bone,  or  its  ligaments,  or  the  substance 
which  connects  it  with  the  shanli-bone  should  receive  injury, 
particularly  in  young  horses,  before  the  limbs  have  become 
properly  knit.  The  smith  frequently  greatly  increases  this  ten- 
dency, by  raising  the  outer  heel  higher  than  the  inner  one,  to 
prevent  cutting  (interfering). 

The  weight  and  concussion  bemg  thrown  principally  on  the 
mner  splint-bone,  produce  inflammation  of  the  cartilaginous 
substance  that  unites  it  to  the  shank-bone.  In  consequence  of 
it,  the  cartilage  is  absorbed,  and  bone  deposited  ;  the  union  be- 
tween the  splint-bone  and  the  shank  becomes  bony,  instead  of 
cartilaginous ;  the  degree  of  elastic  action  between  them  is 
destroyed,  and  there  is  formed  a  splint  of  the  hind  leg.  As  in 
the  fore  leg,  the  disposition  to  Ibrm  bony  matter  having  com- 
menced, and  the  cause  which  produced  it  continuing  to  act, 
bone  continues  to  be  deposited,  and  it  generally  appears  in  the 
form  of  a  tumor,  where  the  head  of  the  splint-bone  is  united 
with  the  shank,  and  in  front  of  that  union.  It  is  seen  at  c, 
Pig.  44.  This  is  called  bone  spavin.  Inflammation  of  the 
ligaments  of  any  of  the  small  bones  of  the  hock,  proceeding  to 
bony  tumor,  would  equally  class  under  the  name  of  spavin  ;  but, 
commonly,  the  disease  commences  on  the  precise  spot  that  has 
been  described. 

While  spavin  is  forming,  there  is  always  lameness,  and  that 
frequently  to  a  very  great  degree  :  but  when  the  membrane  of 
the  bone  has  accommodated  itself  to  the  tumor  that  extended  it, 
the  lameness  subsides  or  disappears,  or  depends  upon  the  degree 
in  wliich  the  bony  deposit  interferes  with  the  motion  of  the 


284  BONE    SPAVIN. 

joint.  It  is  well  known  to  horsemen,  that  many  a  hunter,  with 
spavm  that  would  cause  his  rejection  by  a  veterinary  surg-eon, 
stands  his  work  without  lameness.  Horses  with  exceedingly 
Large  spavins,  are  often  seen  that  are  only  slightly  lame,  or 
that  merely  have  a  stiffness  in  their  gait  at  first  starting,  but 
which  gradually  goes  off  after  a  little  motion ;  while  others, 
with  the  bony  tumor  comparatively  small,  have  the  lameness 
so  great  as  to  destroy  the  usefulness  of  the  horse.  There  is 
always  this  peculiarity  in  the  lameness  of  spavin,  that  it  abates, 
and  sometimes  disappears,  on  exercise  ;  and,  therefore,  a  horse, 
with  regard  to  which  there  is  any  suspicion  of  this  affection, 
should  be  examined  when  first  in  the  morning  it  is  taken  from 
the  stable. 

If  the  spavin  continues  to  increase,  the  bony  deposit  first 
spreads  over  the  lower  wedge-bones,  then  the  larger  wedge- 
bones,  and  even  to  the  cuboid  bones  on  the  other  side,  [see 
jFig.  45.]  Up  to  this  point,  it  may  not  produce  much  lameness, 
because  there  is  very  little  motion  in  these  parts  of  the  joint. 
But  when  it  extends  to  the  union  of  the  tibia  and  astragalus, 
in  which  is  the  chief  motion  of  the  hock,  the  lameness  becomes 
severe,  and  the  horse  becomes  nearly  or  quite  useless. 

Spavined  horses  are  generally  capable  of  slow  work  and  often 
improve  on  the  farm.  For  fast  work,  and  for  work  that  must 
be  regularly  performed,  spavined  horses  are  not  well  calculated ; 
for  this  lameness  behind  produces  great  difficulty  in  rising,  and 
the  consciousness  that  he  will  not  be  able  to  rise  without  painful 
effort  occasionally  prevents  the  horse  from  lying  down  at  all  ; 
and  the  animal  that  cannot  rest  well  cannot  long  travel  far  or 
fast. 

The  treatment  of  spavin  is  simple  enough,  but  far  from  being 
always  efiectual.  The  owner  of  the  horse  will  neither  consult 
his  own  interest,  nor  the  dictates  of  humanity,  if  he  sufiers  the 
chisel  and  mallet,  or  the  gimlet,  or  the  pointed  iron,  or  arse- 
nic, to  be  used  ;  yet  measures  of  considerable  severity  must  be 
resorted  to.  Repeated  blisters  will  usually  cause  either  the 
absorption  of  the  bony  deposit,  or  the  abatement  or  removal  of 
the  inflammation  of  the  ligaments,  or,  as  a  last  resource,  the 
heated  iron  may  be  appHed.^ 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — Bone  spavin,  as  stated  in  the  text,  is  one  of 
the  most  serious  by  which  the  horse  is  affected.  In  the  majoiity  of  cases 
it  must  be  confessed  that  treatment  does  not  succeed*in  removing  lameness 
When  the  disease  is  a  simple  ossification,  on  or  below  the  small  bones  of 
the  hock,  the  lameness  may  generally  be  removed ;  but  it  is  more  fre- 
quently the  case  that  the  disease  extends  itself  between  the  small  bones 
of  the  hock,  causing  ulceration  of  the  synovial  membrane  and  cartilage 
forming  the  articulating  surfaces,  and  even  extending  to  the  substance  of 


CAPPED    HOCK.  285 

The  account  of  the  diseases  of  the  hock  is  not  yet  completed. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  horse  is  frequently  subject  to  lameness 
behind,  when  no  ostensible  cause  for  it  can  be  Ibund,  and  there 
•is  no  external  heat  or  enlargement  to  indicate  the  seat  of  il .  It 
is  often  pronounced  an  aflection  of  the  stifle,  or  of  the  round 
bone  ;  or,  if  there  is  a  stiffness  about  the  hock,  the  commence- 
ment of  spavin.  Yet  in  the  latter  case,  the  joint  may  be  of  its 
natural  size  and  neither  heat  nor  tenderness  perceptible  ;  and 
months  and  years  elapse  without  any  appearance  of  spavin. 
Repeated  dissections  have  shown  that  m  these  cases  of  incurable 
lameness  behind,  where  there  are  no  indications,  during  life,  to 
point  out  the  seat  of  it,  it  is  occasioned  by  injuries  to  the  deli- 
cate and  sensible  membranes  with  which  the  upper  and  lower 
wedge-bones  are  invested.  Ulceration  of  the  synovial  mem- 
brane between  the  upper  and  lower  wedge-shaped  bones  some- 
times takes  place,  and  the  bones  themselves  become  carious  oi 
ulcerated. 

CAPPED  HOCK. 

The  point  of  the  hock  is  sometimes  swelled.  A  soft,  fluctuat 
ing  tumor  appears  on  it.  This  is  an  enlargement  of  one  of  the 
mucous  bags  of  which  mention  has  been  made,  and  that  sur- 
rounds the  insertion  of  the  tendons  into  the  point  of  the  hock. 

It  is  seldom  accompanied  by  lameness,  and  yet  it  is  a  some- 

the  bones  themselves.  When  such  is  the  nature  of  the  case,  treatment 
will,  to  a  great  extent,  prove  unavailing.  The  amount  of  enlargement  that 
may  exist,  therefore,  offers  no  criterion  as  to  the  greater  or  lesser  serious 
ness  of  the  case,  for  a  large  exostosis  may  occur  without  this  ulceration, 
which  latter  may  exist  in  some  instances  with  very  little  enlargement,  and, 
in  others,  none  whatever.  Indeed,  as  stated  in  the  text,  in  the  greater 
number  of  cases  of  lameness  of  the  hind  extremities,  where  no  cause  is 
externally  perceptible,  the  seat  of  injury  is  the  hock.  In  the  majority  of 
cases,  the  synovial  surfaces  of  the  small  bones  of  the  hock  are  affected,  in 
others  the  larger  articulation  between  the  tibia  and  astragalus  is  the  seat 
of  mischief,  the  synovial  membrane  and  cartilage  being  similarly  affected. 

With  regard  to  the  treatment  of  these  hock  cases,  as  we  before  ob- 
served, the  result  is  extremely  uncertain  and  unsatisfactory.  If  any  ex- 
ternal inflammation  is  present,  we  cannot  do  better  than  commence  by 
abstracting  blood  from  tlie  vein  above,  and  use  cooling  applications  to  the 
hock  ;  after  which  we  may  resort  either  to  the  blister,  the  seton,  or  the 
iron.  The  first  is  the  milder  remedy,  and  if  resorted  to,  should  be  repeated 
several  times.  With  regard  to  the.seton,  and  the  iron,  we  have  both  suc- 
ceeded and  failed  with  each.  It  may  be  urged  in  favor  of  the  seton  that 
the  marks  and  blemishes  of  the  iron  are  avoided. 

In  otherwise  incurable  lameness  of  tlie  hock,  the  operation  of  neu- 
rotomy has  been  adopted  with  success,  excising  the  nerve  on  the  inside  only 
a  few  inches  above  the  hock.  The  merit  of  this  operation  is  principally  due 
to  Professor  Spooner,  of  the  Royal  Veterinary  College  of  Loudon,  who 
was  ;he  first  to  perform  and  introduce  it. 


286  MALLENDERS  AND  SALLENDERS. 

what  serious  business,  for  it  is  usually  produced  by  blows  and 
mostly  by  the  injuries  which  the  horse  inflicts  upon  himself  in  the 
act  of  kicking  :  therefore  it  is  that  a  horse  with  a  capped  hock  is 
very  properly  regarded  with  a  suspicious  eye.  The  whole  of  the 
hock  should  be  carefully  examined,  in  order  to  discover  whether 
there  are  other  marks  of  violence,  and  the  previous  iiistory  of  the 
animal  should  be  carefully  inquired  into.  Does  he  kick  in  har- 
ness or  in  the  stall,  or  has  he  been  lying  on  a  thin  bed,  or  on  no 
bed  at  all ;  and  thus  may  the  hock  have  been  bruised,  and  the 
swelling  produced  ? 

It  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  apply  a  bandage  over  a  capped 
hock  ;  and  puncturing  the  tumor,  or  passing  a  seton  through  it, 
would  be  a  most  injudicious  practice.  Blisters,  or  iodine,  repeated 
as  often  as  may  be  necessary,  are  the  best  means  to  be  employed. 
Occasionally  the  tumor  will  spontaneously  disappear  ;  but  at  other 
times  it  will  attain  a  large  size,  or  assume  a  callous  structure,  that 
will  bid  defiance  to  all  the  means  that  can  be  employed.^ 


MALLENDERS  AND  SALLENDERS. 

On  the  inside  of  the  hock,  or  a  little  below  it,  as  well  as  at  the 
oend  of  the  knee  {h,  Fig.  41),  there  is  occasionally  a  surfy  erup- 
tion, called  mallenders  in  the  fore-leg,  and  saUenders  in  the  hind- 
leg.  They  seldom  produce  lameness  ;  but  if  no  means  are  taken 
to  get  rid  of  them,  a  discharge  proceeds  from  them  which  it  is  af- 
terwards difficult  to  stop.  They  usually  indicate  bad  stable  man- 
agement. 

A  diuretic  ball  should  be  occasionally  given,  and  an  ointment 
of  sugar-of-lead  and  tar,  with  treble  the  quantity  of  lard,  rubbed 
over  the  part.  Should  this  fail,  a  weak  mercurial  ointment  may 
be  used.     Iodine  has  here  also  been  useful. 


*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — The  actual  seat  of  this  injuiy  is  between  the 
skin  and  the  tendons  inserted  in,  and  passing  over,  the  point  of  the  hock. 
The  skiu  is  very  loose  at  this  part,  and,  to  facilitate  the  motions  of  the  hock, 
there  is  much  cellular  membrane.  A  capped  hock  is  a  serous  tumor  or  ab- 
scess ;  that  is,  the  parts  are  inflamed  and  irritated  from  blows,  and  serum  is- 
thrown  out  between  the  skin  and  the  cellular  membrane,  and  the  tumor  is 
circumscribed.  The  vice  of  kicking  against  the  stall-post  is,  in  nearly  every 
case,  the  cause  of  this  disease.  We  sliould  endeavor  to  remove  the  swelling 
by  cooling  measures,  followed  by  a  blister,  or  the  application  of  iodine  oint- 
ment :  but  if  these  means  fail,  and  the  tumor  is  large,  we  may  pass  a  seton 
through  it  with  impunity,  for  there  is  no  joint  or  tendinous  sheath  opened 
The  seton  should  be  kept  in  until  the  discharge  becomes  slightly  purulent, 
or  otherwise  the  tumnr  will  soon  fill  again  with. serum. 


SWELLED   LEGS.  287 


SWELLED  LEGS 


The  fore-legs,  but  oftener  the  hind  ones,  and  especially  in  coarse 
hoises,  are  sometimes  subject  to  considerable  enlargement.  Oc- 
casionaily,  when  the  horse  does  not  seem  to  labor  under  any  other 
disease,  and  sometimes  from  an  apparent  shifting  of  disease  from 
other  parts,  the  hind-legs  suddenly  swell  to  an  enormous  degree 
from  the  hock,  and  almost  from  the  stifle  to  the  fetlock,  attended 
by  a  greater  or  less  degree  of  heat,  and  tenderness  of  the  skin,  and 
sometimes  excessive  and  peculiar  lameness.  The  pulse  likewise 
becomes  quick  and  hard,  and  the  horse  evidently  labors  under 
considerable  fever.  It  is  acute  inflammation  of  the  cellular  sub- 
stance of  the  legs,  and  that  most  sudden  in  its  attack,  and  most 
violent  in  its  degree,  and  therefore  attended  by  the  effusion  of  a 
considerable  quantity  of  fluid  into  the  cellular  memibrane.  It  oc- 
curs in  young  horses,  and  in  those  which  are  over-fed  and  little 
exercised.  Fomentations,  diuretics,  or  purgatives,  or,  if  there  is 
much  fever,  a  moderate  bleeding  will  often  relieve  the  distention 
almost  as  suddenly  as  it  appeared. 

Sometimes  the  legs  are  swelled  without  lameness.  At  other 
times  there  is  a,  great  degree  of  stiffness  and  pain.  Occasionally 
they  become  tremendously  swollen  in  a  single  night,  and  exhibit 
great  tenderness.  Many  horses,  if  suflered  to  remain  several  days 
without  exercise,  will  have  swelled  legs.  If  the  case  is  neglected, 
abscesses  appear  in  various  parts  of  the  legs  ;  the  heels  are  at- 
tacked by  grease,  and,  if  proper  measures  are  not  adopted,  the 
horse  has  an  enlarged  leg  for  life. 

The  cure,  when  the  case  has  not  been  too  long  neglected,  is 
sufficiently  plain.  Physic  or  diuretics,  or  both,  must  be  had  re- 
curse  to.  Mild  cases  will  generally  yield  to  their  influence  ;  but, 
if  the  animal  has  been  neglected,  the  treatment  must  be  decisive. 
If  the  horse  is  m  high  condition,  these  should  be  preceded  or  ac- 
companied by  bleeding  ;  but  if  there  are  any  symptoms  of  debility, 
bleeding  would  only  increase  the  want  of  tone  in  the  vessels. 

Horses  taken  from  grass  and  brought  into  close  stables  verj 
speedily  have  swelled  legs,  because  the  difference  of  food  and  in- 
crease of  nutriment  rapidly  increase  the  quantity  of  the  circulating 
fluid,  while  the  want  of  exercise  takes  away  the  means  by  which 
it  might  be  got  rid  of.  The  remedy  here  is  sufficiently  plain. 
Swelled  legs,  however,  may  proceed  from  general  debility.  They 
may  be  the  consequences  of  starvation,  or  disease  that  has  con- 
siderably weakened  the  animal ;  and  these  parts,  being  farthest 
from  the  centre  of  circulation,  are  the  first  to  show  the  loss  of 
power  by  the  accumulation  of  fluid  in  them.  Here  the  means  of 
cure  would  be  to  increase  the  general  strength,  with  which  the 


288  GREASE. 

extremities  would  sympathize.  Mild  diuretics  and  tonics  would 
therefore  be  evidently  indicated. 

Horses  in  the  spring  and  fall  are  subject  to  swelled  legs.  Tho 
powers  of  the  constitution  are  principally  employed  in  providing  a 
new  coat  for  the  animal,  and  the  extremities  have  not  their  share 
of  vital  influence.  Mingled  cordials  and  diuretics  are  indicated 
here — the  diuretic  to  lessen  the  quantity  of  the  circulating  fluid, 
and  the  cordial  to  invigorate  the  frame. 

Swelled  legs  are  often  teasing  in  horses  that  are  in  tolerable  or 
good  health  :  but  where  the  work  is  somewhat  irregular,  the  cure 
consists  in  giving  more  equal  exercise,  walking  the  horse  out  daily 
when  the  usual  work  is  not  required,  and  using  plenty  of  friction 
in  the  form  of  hand-rubbing.  Bandages  have  a  greater  and  more 
durable  eflect,  for  nothing  tends  more  to  support  the  capillary  ves- 
sels, and  rouse  the  action  of  the  absorbents,  than  moderate  pres- 
sure. Hay-bands  will  form  a  good  bandage  for  the  agricultural 
horse,  and  their  effect  will  probably  be  increased  by  previously 
dipping  them  in  water. 

The  physic,  or  the  diuretic  ball  may  occasionally  be  used,  but 
very  sparingly  :  and  only  when  they  are  absolutely  required.  In 
the  hands  of  the  owner  of  the  horse,  or  the  veterinary  surgeon, 
they  may  be  employed  with  benefit ;  but  in  those  of  the  carter  or 
the  groom  they  will  do  far  more  harm  than  good.  The  frequent 
and  undue  stimulus  of  the  urinary  organs  by  the  diuretic  ball,  will 
be  too  often  followed  by  speedy  and  incurable  debility.  If  the 
swelling  bids  defiance  to  exercise,  and  friction,  and  bandage,  the 
aid  of  the  diuretic  may  be  resorted  to,  but  never  until  these 
have  failed,  unless  there  is  an  evident  tendency  to  humor  or 
grease. 

GREASE.* 

Swelled  legs,  although  distinct  from  grease,  is  a  disease  that  is 
apt  to  degenerate  into  it.  G-rease  is  a  specific  inflammation  of 
the  skin  of  the  heels,  sometimes  of  the  fore-feet,  but  oftener  of  the 
hinder  ones.  It  is  noj;  a  contagious  disease,  as  some  have  asserted, 
although  when  it  once  appears  in  a  stable  it  frequently  attacks 
almost  every  horse  in  it.  Bad  stable  management  is  the  true 
cause  of  it. 

There  is  a  peculiarity  about  the  skin  of  the  heel  of  the  horse. 
In  its  healthy  state  there  is  a  secretion  of  greasy  matter  from  it,  in 
order  to  prevent  excoriation  and  chapping,  and  the  skin  is  soft  and 
pliable.  Too  often,  however,  from  bad  management,  the  secre- 
tion of  this  greasy  raiatter  is  stopped,  and  the  skin  of  the  heel  be- 
comes red,  and  dry,  and  scurfy.     The  joint  still  continuing  to  bo 

*  A  variety  of  this  is  termed  "  Scratches"  in  the  United  States. — Am.  Ed 


GREASE.  2d  9 

extended  and  flexed,  cracks  of  the  skin  begin  to  appear,  and  these, 
if  neglected,  rapidly  extend,  and  the  heel  becomes  a  mass  of  sore- 
ness, ulceration,  and  fungus. 

The  distance  of  the  heel  from  the  centre  of  circulation,  and  the 
exposure  and  changes  to  which  the  part  is  subjected,  render  it  a 
matter  of  little  wonder  that  it  is  frequently  attacked  by  inflam- 
mation. 

Grease  is  a  local  complaint.  It  is  produced  principally  by 
causes  that  act  locally,  and  it  is  most  successfully  treated  hy  lo- 
cal applications.  Diuretics  and  purgatives  may  be  useful  in  abat- 
ing iuliammation  ;  but  the  grand  object  is  to  get  rid  of  the  in- 
flammatory action  which  exists  in  the  skin  of  the  heel,  and  to 
heal  the  wounds,  and  remedy  the  mischief  which  it  has  oc- 
casioned. 

The  first  appeaaance  of  grease  is  usually  a  dry  and  scurfy  state 
of  the  skin  ot"  the  heel,  with  redness,  heat,  and  itchiness.  The 
heel  should  be  well  but  gently  washed  with  soap  and  water,  and 
as  much  of  the  scurf  detached  as  is  easily  removable.  An  oint- 
ment, composed  of  one  part  plum,  diacet.  and  seven  of  adeps  suilla; 
will  usually  supple,  and  cool,  and  heal  the  part. 

When  cracks  appear,  the  mode  of  treatment  will  depend  on 
their  extent  and  depth.  If  they  are  but  slight,  a  lotion,  composed 
plumbi  sulph.  3ij.  et  aluminis  3iiij.,  dissolved  in  a  pint  of  water, 
will  often  speedily  dry  them  up,  and  close  them.  There  is  some- 
times considerable  caprice  in  the  application  of  this  lotion,  which 
has  induced  Professor  Morton  to  have  recourse  to  alumen  et  tere- 
binthinus  vulgaris  one  part  each,  and  adeps  suillse  three  parts,  made 
into  an  ointment. 

If  the  cracks  are  deep,  with  an  ichorous  discharge  and  consider- 
able lameness,  it  will  be  necessary  to  poultice  the  heel.  A  poul- 
tice of  linseed  meal  will  be  generally  effective,  unless  the  discharge 
is  thin  and  oflensive,  when  an  ounce  of  finely-powdered  charcoal 
should  be  mixed  with  the  linseed  meal ;  or  a  poultice  of  carrots, 
boiled  soft  and  mashed.  The  efficacy  of  a  carrot-poultice  is  sel- 
dom sufficiently  appreciated  in  cases  like  this. 

When  the  inflammation  and  pain  have  evidently  subsided,  and 
the  sores  discharge  good  matter,  the  calamine  ointment  may  be 
applied  with  advantage ;  and  the  cure  will  generally  be  quickened 
if  a  very  diluted  vitriolic  or  alum  solution  is  applied. 

The  best  medicine  will  consist  of  nfild  aloetic  balls  ;  gentle  diu- 
retics being  given  towards  the  close  of  the  treatment. 

After  the  chaps  or  cracks  have  healed,  the  legs  will  sometimes 
continue  gorged  and  swelled.  A  flannel  bandage,  evenly  applied 
over  the  whole  of  the  swelled  part,  will  be  very  serviceable ;  or, 
should  the  season  admit  of  it,  a  run  at  grass,  particularly  spring 
grass,  "should  be  allowed.  A  blister  is  inadmissible,  trom  the  dan 
19  M 


290  GREASE. 

ger  of  bringing  back  the  inflammation  of  the  skin,  and  the  dis- 
charge from  it ;  but  the  actual  cautery,  special  care  being  taken 
not  to  penetrate  the  skin,  may  occasionally  be  resorted  to. 

In  some  cases  the  cracks  are  not  confined  to  the  centre  of  the 
heels,  but  spread  over  them,  and  extend  on  the  fetlock,  and  even 
up  the  leg,  while  the  legs  are  exceedingly  swelled,  and  there  is  a 
watery  discharge  from  the  cracks,  and  an  apparent  oozing  through 
the  skin  at  other  places.  The  legs  are  exceedingly  tender  and 
sometimes  hot,  and  there  is  an  appearance  which  the  farrier  thinks 
very  decisive  as  to  the  state  of  the  disease,  and  which  the  better 
informed  man  should  not  overlook — tlie  heels  smoke — the  skin  is 
so  hot,  that  the  watery  fluid  partly  evaporates  as  it  runs  from  the 
cracks  or  oozes  through  the  skin. 

There  will  be  great  danger  in  suddenly  stopping  this  discharge. 
Inflammation  of  a  more  important  part  has  rapidly  succeeded  to 
the  injudicious  attempt.  The  local  application  should  be  directed 
to  the  abatement  of  the  inflammation.  The  poultices  just  referred 
to  should  be  diligently  used  night  and  day,  and  especially  the 
carrot-poultice  ;  and  when  the  heat,  and  tenderness,  and  stiffness 
of  motion  have  diminished,  astringent  lotions  may  be  applied — 
either  the  alum  lotion,  or  a  strong  decoction  of  oak-bark,  changed, 
or  used  alternately,  but  not  mixed.  The  cracks  should  likewise 
be  dressed  Avith  the  ointment  above-mentioned  ;  and,  the  moment 
the  horse  can  bear  it,  a  flannel  bandage  should  be  put  on,  reach- 
ing from  the  coronet  to  three  or  four  inches  above  the  swelling. 

The  medicine  should  be  confined  to  mild  diuretics,  mixed  with 
one-third  part  of  cordial  mash  ;  or,  if  the  horse  is  gross,  and  the 
inflammation  runs  high,  a  dose  of  physic  may  be  given.  If  the 
horse  is  strong,  and  fall  of  flesh,  physic  should  always  precede 
and  sometimes  supercede  the  diuretics.  In  cases  of  much  debil- 
ity, diuretics,  with  aromatics  or  tonics,  will  be  preferable. 

The  feeding  should  likewise  vary  with  the  case,  but  with  these 
rules,  which  admit  of  no  exception,  that  green  meat  should  be 
given,  and  more  especially  carrots,  when  they  are  not  too  expen- 
sive, and  mashes,  if  the  horse  will  eat  them,  and  never  the  full 
allowance  of  corn. 

Walking  exercise  should  be  resorted  to  as  soon  as  the  horse  is 
able  to  bear  it,  and  this  by  degrees  may  be  increased  to  a  gentle 
trot. 

From,  bad  stable  management  at  first,  and  neglect  during  the 
disease,  a  yet  worse  kind  of  grease  occasionally  appears.  The 
.ilceration  extends  over  the  skin  of  the  heal  and  the  fetlock,  and  a 
fungus  springs  from  the  surface  of  both,  highly  sensible,  bleeding 
nt  the  slightest  touch,  and  interspersed  with  scabs.  By  degrees, 
portions  of  the  fungus  begin  to  be  covered  with  a  horny  substance 
protruding  in  the  form  of  knobs,  and  collected  together  in  bunches. 


GREASE.  291 

These  are  known  by  the  name  of  grajjes.     A  foetid  and  very  pc 
cuHar  exudation  proceeds  from  nearly  the  whole  of  the  unnatural 
substance.     The  horse  evidently  suilers  much,  and  is  gradually 
worn  down  by  the  discharge.     The  assistance  of  a  veterinary  sur- 
geon is  here  hidispensable. 

Some  horses  are  more  subject  to  grease  than  others,  particu- 
larly draft  horses,  both  heavy  and  light,  but  especially  the  former, 
and  if  they  have  no  degree  of  blood  in  them.  It  was  the  experi- 
ence  of  this  which  partly  contributed  to  the  gradual  change  ol 
coach  and  other  draught  horses  to  those  of  a  lighter  breed.  In 
the  great  majority  of  cases,  grease  arises  from  mismanagement 
and  neglect. 

Want  of  exercise,  high  feeding  and  want  of  exercise,  want  of 
cleanliness,  and  dirty  stables  are  among  the  causes  of  it.  The 
absurd  practice  of  washing  the  feet  and  legs  of  horses  when  they 
come  from  their  work,  and  either  carelessly  spongnig  them  down 
afterwards,  or  leaving  them  to  dry  as  they  may,  is,  however,  the 
most  common  origin  of  grease. 

AVhen  the  horse  is  warmed  by  his  work,  and  xne  heels  share 
in  the  warmth,  the  momentary  cold  of  washing  may  noi  be  inju- 
rious, if  the  animal  is  immediately  rubbed  dry  ;  yet  even  this 
would  be  better  avoided  :  but  to  wash  out  the  heeis,  and  then 
leave  them  partially  dry  or  perfectly  wet,  and  suiiering  from  the 
extreme  cold  that  is  produced  by  evaporation  from  a  moist  and 
wet  surface,  is  the  most  absurd,  dangerous,  and  injurious  practice 
that  can  be  imagined.  It  is  worse  when  the  post-horse  or  the 
plough-horse  is  plunged  up  to  his  belly  in  the  river  or  pond, 
immediately  after  his  work.  The  owner  is  little  aware  how 
many  cases  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  and  bowels,  and  feet, 
and  heels  follow.  After  they  have  been  suffered  to  stand  for 
twenty  minutes  in  the  stable,  during  which  time  the  horse-keeper 
or  the  carter  may  be  employed  in  taking  care  of  the  harness,  oi 
carriage,  or  begiiming  to  dress  the  horse,  the  greater  part  of  the 
dirt  which  had  collected  about  the  heels  may  be  got  rid  of  with 
a  dry  brush  ;  and  the  rest  will  disappear  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
afterwards  under  the  operation  of  a  second  brushing.  The  trouble 
will  not  be  great,  and  the  heels  will  not  be  chilled  and  subject  to 
inflammation. 

Their  has  been  some  dispute  as  to  the  propriety  of  cutting  the 
hair  from  the  heels.  Custom  has  very  properly  retained  the  bail 
on  our  farm- horses.  Nature  would  not  have  given  it,  had  it  not 
been  useful.  It  guards  the  heel  from  being  injured  by  the  in- 
equalities of  the  ploughed  field  ;  it  prevents  the  dirt  in  which  the 
heels  are  constantly  enveloped,  from  reaching  and  caking  on, 
and  irritating  the  skin  ;  it  hinders  the  usual  moisture  which  is 
mixed  with  the  clay  and  mould  from  rcaching  the  skin,  and  it 


292  GE.EASE. 

preserves  an  equal  temperature  in  the  parts.  If  the  hair  is  suf- 
fered to  remain  on  the  heels  of  the  farm-horses,  there  is  greater 
necessity  for  brushing  and  hand-rubbing  the  heels,  and  never 
washing  them. 

Fashion  and  utility  have  removed  the  hair  from  the  heels  of 
our  hackney  and  carriage  horses.  When  the  horse  is  carefully 
tended  after  his  work  is  over,  and  his  legs  quickly  and  completely 
dried,  the  less  hair  he  has  about  them  the  better,  for  then  both 
the  skin  and  the  hair  can  be  made  perfectly  dry  before  evapora- 
tion begins,  or  proceeds  so  far  as  to  deprive  the  legs  of  their 
heat.^ 

Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — In  the  treatment  of  this  disease  and  those  anal- 
agous  cases  of  humors  or  swellings  of  the  legs  by  which  it  is  preceded, 
blood-letting  will  be  generally  desirable,  with  a  dose  of  physic ;  for  it  is 
while  the  system  is  under  the  cooling  effects  of  these  depletive  agents  that 
local  oxeJKsures  are  attended  with  the  greatest  benefit.  Poultices  either  of 
linsep^l  meal  or  carrots,  may  be  applied,  and  astringent  lotions  added  to 
them  so  as  to  remove  the  irritation,  and  check  the  discharge  at  the  samo 
time. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE    FOOT. 


a  The  external  crnst 
eeen  at  the  quarter. 

b  The  coronary  rhig. 

c  The  Httle  horny 
plates  lining  the  crust. 

d  The  same  contin- 
ued over  the  bars. 

e  e  The  two  concave 
surfaces  of  the  inside  of 
the  horny  frog. 

/  That  vi^hich  exter- 
nally is  the  cleft  of  the 
frog. 

g  The  bars. 

\  The  rounded  part 
of  the  heels,  belonging 
to  the  frog. 


This  cut  exhibits,  in  as  satisfactory 
an-l  structure  of  the  base  of  the  foot. 


manner,  the  mechanism 


Fig.  47. 


a  a  The  frog. 
h  The  sole. 
c  c  The  bars. 
d.  d  The  crast. 


Ttie  toot  is  composed  of  the  horny  box  that  covers  the  extrem- 
ities of  llic  horse,  and  the  contents  of  that  box.  The  hoof  or  box 
is  <'omj)i).<L'd  of  the  crust  or  wall,  the  coronary  ring  and  band,  the 
bius..  Liie  horny  laminse,  the  sole,  and  the  horny  frog. 


294  THE    CRUST    OR    WALL    OF    THE    HOOP. 


THE  CRUST  OR  WALL  OF  THE  HOOF. 

The  crust,  or  ivall,  is  that  portion  which  is  seen  when  the  foot  is 
placed  on  the  ground,  and  reaches  from  the  termination  of  the  hair 
to  the  ground.  It  is  deepest  in  front,  where  it  is  called  the  toe, 
measuring  there  about  three  inches  and  a  half  in  depth,  (see  Fig 
48,)  shallower  at  the  sides,  which  are  denominated  the  quarters, 
and  of  least  extent  behind,  where  it  is  seldom  more  than  an  inch 
and  a  half  in  height,  and  is  termed  the  heel.  The  crust  in  the 
healthy  foot  presents  a  flat  and  narrow  surface  to  the  ground, 
ascending  obliquely  backAvards,  and  possessing  different  degrees 
of  obliquity  in  different  horses.  In  a  sound  hoof  the  proper 
degree  of  obliquity  is  calculated  at  forty-five  degrees,  or  the 
fourth  part  of  a  semicircle,  at  the  front  of  the  foot.  When  the 
obliquity  is  greater  than  this,  it  indicates  undue  flatness  of  the 
solo,  and  the  crust  is  said  to  have  "fallen  in."  If  the  obliquity 
is  very  much  increased,  the  sole  projects,  and  is  said  too  be  pum- 
iced or  convex. 

If  the  foot  is  more  upright,  or  forms  a  greater  angle  than  forty- 
five  degrees,  it  indicates  much  contraction,  and  a  sole  too  concave  ; 
and  this  difference  of  obliquity  is  often  so  great,  that  the  convex- 
ity or  concavity  of  the  sole  may  be  affirmed  without  the  trouble 
of  raising  the  foot  for  the  purpose  of  examination. 

It  is  of  some  importance  to  observe  where  the  depth  of  the  crust 
appears  rapidly  or  slowly  to  decrease  from  the  front  to  the  heel. 
If  the  decrease  is  little,  and  even  at  the  heel  the  crust  is  high 
and  deep,  this  indicates  a  foot  liable  to  contraction,  sand-crack, 
thrush,  and  inflammation.  The  pasterns  are  upright,  the  paces 
of  that  horse  are  not  pleasant.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  crust 
rapidly  diminishes  in  depth  and  the  heels  are  low,  this  is  accom- 
panied by  too  great  slanting  of  the  pastern,  and  disposition  to 
sprain  in  the  back  sinew.  The  foot,  generally,  is  liable  to  be 
weak  and  flat,  and  bruised,  and  there  is  more  tendency  to  the 
frequent,  but  obscure  lameness,  of  which  there  will  presently 
be  occasion  to  treat — the  navicular-joint  disease. 

The  crust  is  composed  of  numerous  horny  fibres,  connected 
together  by  an  elastic  membranous  substance,  and  extending 
from  the  coronet  to  the  base  of  the  hoof.  It  differs  materially 
in  its  texture,  its  elasticity,  its  growth,  and  its  occasional  brit- 
tleness  according  to  the  state  in  which  it  is  kept,  and  the  cir- 
cumstances that  are  acting  upon  it. 

The  outside  of  the  hoof  should  be  smooth  and  level.  Protu- 
berances or  rings  round  the  crust  indicate  that  the  horse  has  had 
inflammation  in  the  teet,  and  that  to  such  a  degree,  as  to  produce 
an  unequal  growth  of  horn,  and  probably  to  leave  some  injurioug 


THE    'JORONET  2^^^t 

consequences  in  the  internal  part  of  the  foot.  If  there  is  a  depres- 
sion or  hollow  iu  front  of  the  foot,  it  betrays  a  sinking  of  the 
coffin-bone,  and  a  flat  or  pumiced  sole.  If  there  is  a  hollow  at 
the  quarters,  it  is  the  worse  system  of  bad  contraction. 

The  thickness  of  the  crust,  in  the  front  of  the  foot,  is  rather 
more  than  half  an  inch  ;  it  becomes  gradually  thinner  towards 
the  quarters  and  heels,  but  this  often  varies  to  a  considerable 
extent.  In  some  hoofs,  it  is  not  more  than  half  the  above  thick- 
ness. If  however  there  is  not,  in  the  majority  of  horses,  more 
than  half  an  inch  for  nail-hold  at  the  toe,  and  not  so  much  at  the 
quralers,  it  will  not  appear  surprising  that  these  horses  are  occa- 
sionally wounded  in  shoeing,  and  especially  as  some  of  them  are 
very  unmanageable  while  undergoing  this  process. 

While  the  crust  becomes  thinner  towards  both  quarters,  it  is 
more  so  at  the  inner  quarter  than  at  the  outer,  because  more 
weight  is  thrown  upon  it  than  upon  the  outer.  It  is  more  under 
the  horse.  It  is  under  the  inner  splint-bone,  on  which  so  much 
more  of  the  weight  rests  than  on  the  outer  ;  and,  being  thinner, 
it  is  able  to  expand  more.  Its  elasticity  is  called  m^re  into  play, 
and  concussion  and  injury  are  avoided.  When  the  expansion 
of  the  quarters  is  prevented  by  their  being  nailed  to  an  unbend- 
ing shoe,  the  inner  quarter  suffers  most.  Corns  are  oftenest 
found  there ;  contraction  begins  there ;  sand-crack  is  seated 
there.  Nature  meant  that  this  should  be  the  most  yielding  part, 
in  order  to  obviate  concussion,  because  on  it  the  weight  is  prin- 
cipally thrown,  and  therefore  when  its  power  of  yielding  is  taken 
away  it  must  be  the  first  to  suffer. 

A  careful  observer  will  likewise  perceive  that  the  inner  quarter 
is  higher  than  the  outer.  While  it  is  thin  to  yield  to  the  shock, 
its  increased  surface  gives  it  sufficient  strength. 

On  account  of  its  thinness,  and  the  additional  weight  which  it 
bears,  the  inner  heel  wear  saway  quicker  than  the  outer  ;  a  cir- 
cumstance that  should  never  be  forgotten  by  the  smith.  His  ob- 
ject is  to  give  a  plane  and  level  bearing  to  the  whole  of  the  crust. ' 
To  accomplish  this,  it  will  be  often  scarcely  necessary  to  remove 
any  thing  from  the  inner  heel,  for  this  has  already  been  done  by 
the  wear  of  the  foot.  If  he  forgets  this,  as  he  too  often  seems  to 
do,  and  cuts  away  with  his  knife  or  his  buttress  an  equal  portion 
all  round,  he  leaves  the  inner  or  weaker  quarter  lower  than  the 
outer  ;  he  throws  an  uneven  bearing  upon  it ;  and  produces  corns 
and  sand-cracks  and  splints,  which  a  little  care  and  common  sense 
might  have  avoided. 


296  THE  BARS. 


THE  CORONET,  OR  CORONARY  RING. 

The  crust  does  not  vary  much  in  thickness  until  near  the  top 
where  it  rapidly  gets  thin.     It  is  in  a  manner  scooped  or  hollowed 
Fi^.  48.  o^t-     ^^  likewise  changes  its  color  and  consis 

tence,  and  seems  almost  like  a  continuation  of 
the  skin,  but  is  easily  separated  from  it  by  mu- 
ceration,  (steeping  or  soaking  in  a  fluid,)  or  by 
disease.  The  upper  and  thin  part  is  called  the 
coronary  ring,  x  Fig.  37.  It  extends  round  the 
upper  portion  of  the  hoofs,  and  receives,  within 
it,  or  covers,  a  thickened  or  bulbous  prolongation 
of  the  skin,  called  the  coronary  ligament  (see  b, 
in  the  accompanying  cut).  This  prolongation  ol 
the  sKiii — it  is  nothing  more — is  thicldy  supplied  with  blood-ves- 
sels. It  is  almost  a  mesh  of  blood-vessels  connected  together  b\ 
fibrous  texture,  and  many  of  them  are  employed  in  secreting  oi 
forming  the  crust  or  wall  of  the  foot.  Hence  it  is,  that  in  sand- 
crack,  quitor,  and  other  diseases  in  which  strips  of  the  crust  are 
destroyed,  it  is  so  long  in  being  renewed,  or  groichig  doivn.  It 
must  proceed  from  the  coronary  ligament,  and  so  gradually  creep 
down  the  foot  with  the  natural  growth  or  lengthening  of  the 
horn,  of  which,  as  in  the  human  nail,  a  supply  is  slowly  given  to 
answer  to  the  wear  and  tear  of  the  part. 

THE  BARS. 

At  the  back  part  of  the  foot  the  wall  of  the  hoof,  instead  of 
continuing  round  and  forming  a  circle,  is  suddenly  bent  in  as  in 
Fig.  47,  where  d  represents  the  base  of  the  crust,  and  e  its  inflec- 
tion or  bending  at  the  heel.  The  bars  are,  in  fact,  a  continuation 
of  the  crust,  forming  an  acute  angle,  and  meeting  at  a  point  at 
the  toe  of  the  frog — see  a,  b,  and  c,  in  Fig.  47,  and  the  inside  of 
the  bars,  like  the  inside  of  the  crust,  (see  Fig.  46.)  presents  a  con- 
tinuance of  the  horny  leaves,  showing  that  it  is  a  part  of  the  same 
substance,  and  helping  to  discharge  the  same  office. 

It  needs  only  the  slightest  consideration  of  the  cut,  or  of  the 
natural  hoof,  to  show  the  importance  of  the  bars.  The  arch 
which  these  form  on  either  side,  between  the  frog  and  the  quar- 
ters, is  admirably  contrived  both  to  admit  of,  and  to  limit  to  its 
proper  extent,  the  expansion  of  the  foot.  When  the  foot  is 
placed  on  the  ground,  and  the  weight  of  the  animal  is  thrown  on 
the  leaves  of  the  inside  of  the  bars,  these  arches  will  shorten  and 
widen,  in  order  to  admit  of  the  expansion  of  the  quarters — ^the  bow 
returning  to  its  natural  curve,  and  powerfully  assisting  the  foot  in 


THE  HORNY  LAMIN.'E THE  SOLE.  297 

rejr'"^iniii?  its  usual  form.  It  cau  also  be  conceived  that  these 
ha  IS  must  form  a  powerful  protection  against  the  contraction,  or 
wiri/iix  in,  of  the  quarters.  A  moment's  inspection  (,I,^  Fig.  4G) 
will  show  that,  if  the  bars  are  taken  away,  there  will  be  nothing 
to  resist  the  contraction  or  falling  in  of  the  quarters,  when* the  foot 
is  exposed  to  any  disease,  or  bad  management,  that  would  induce 
it  to  contract.  One  moment's  observation  of  tliem  will  also  ren- 
der evident  the  security  which  they  afford  to  the  frog  (/),  and 
the  effectual  protection  which  they  give  to  the  lateral  portions  of 
the  foot. 

Then  appears  the  necessity  of  passing  lightly  over  them,  and 
leaving  prominent,  when  the  foot  is  pared  ibr  shoeing,  that  which 
so  many  smiths  cut  perfectly  away.  They  imagine  that  it  gives 
a  more  open  appearance  to  the  foot  of  the  horse.  Horses  shod  for 
the  purpose  of  sale,  have  usually  the  bars  removed  with  this 
view  ;  and  the  smiths  in  the  neighborhood  of  tlie  metropolis  and 
large  towns,  shoeing  for  dealers,  too  often  habitually  pursue,  with 
regard  to  all  their  customers,  the  injurious  practice  of  removing 
the  bars.  The  horny  frog,  deprived  of  its  guard,  will  speedily 
contract,  and  become  elevated  and  thrusliy  ;  and  the  whole  of  the 
heel,  having  lost  the  power  of  reaction  which  the  curve  between 
the  bar  c  and  the  crust  d  gave  it  (vide  Fig.  47.),  will  speedily 
fall  in. 

THE  HORNY  LAMINAE,  OR  LEAVES. 

The  inside  of  the  crust  is  covered  by  thin  horny  leaves  (c.  Fig 
46),  extending  all  round  it,  and  reaching  from  the  coronary  ring 
to  the  toe.  They  are  about  five  hundred  in  number,  broadest  at 
their  base,  and  terminating  in  the  most  delicate  expansion  of  horn. 
They  not  a  little  resemble  the  inner  surface  of  a  musluooiii.  In 
front,  they  run  in  a  direction  from  the  coronet  to  the  toe,  and 
towards  the  quarters  they  are  more  slanting  from  behind  forwards 
They  correspond,  as  will  be  presently  sliown,  with  similar  carti 
laginous  and  fleshy  leaves  on  the  surface  of  the  coffin-bone,  and 
form  a  beautiful  elastic  body,  by  which  the  whole  weight  of  the 
horse  is  supported. 

THE  SOLE 

Is  under,  and  occupies  the  greater  portion  of  the  concave  and 
elastic  surface  of  the  foot  (see  b,  Fig.  47),  extending  trom  the 
crust  to  the  bars  and  frog.  It  is  not  so  thick  as  the  crust,  because, 
notwithstanding  its  situation,  it  does  not  support  so  much  weight 
as  the  crust ;  and  because  it  was  intended  to  expand,  in  order  to 
prevent  concussion,  when,  by  the  descent  of  the  bone  of  the  foot, 


298  THE    FROG, 

th(!  weight  was  thrown  upon  it.  It  is  not  so  brittle  as  the  crust, 
and  it  is  more  elastic  than  it.  It  is  thickest  at  the  toe  (see  /,  Ficr 
37),  because  the  first  and  principal  stress  is  thrown  on  that  part 
The  coffin-bone,  /,  is  driven  forward  and  downward  in  that  direc- 
tion. It  is  likewise  thicker  where  it  unites  with  the  crust  than  it 
is  towards  the  centre,  for  a  similar  and  evident  reason,  because 
there  the  weight  is  first  and  prnicipally  thrown. 

In  a  state  of  nature  it  is,  to  a  certain  degree,  hollow.  The 
reason  of  this  is  plain.  It  is  intended  to  descend  or  yield  with 
the  weight  of  the  horse,  and  by  that  gradual  descent  or  yielding, 
most  materially  lessen  the  shock  which  would  result  from  the 
sudden  action  of  the  weight  of  the  animal  in  rapid  and  violent 
exercise  ;  and  this  descent  can  only  be  given  by  a  hollow  sole. 
A  flat  sole,  already  pressing  upon  the  ground,  could  not  be  brought 
lower ;  nor  could  the  functions  of  the  frog  be  then  discharged ; 
nor  would  the  foot  have  so  secure  a  hold.  Then  if  the  sole  is 
naturally  hollow,  and  hollow  because  it  must  descend,  the  smith 
should  not  interi'ere  with  this  important  action.  When  the  foot 
will  bear  it,  he  must  pare  out  sufficient  of  the  horn  to  preserve 
the  proper  concavity  ;  also  a  small  portion  at  the  toe  and  near  the 
crust,  and  cutting  deeper  towards  the  centre.  He  must  put  on  a 
shoe  which  shall  not  prevent  the  descent  of  the  sole,  and  which 
not  only  shall  not  press  upon  it,  but  shall  leave  sufficient  room 
between  it  and  the  sole  to  admit  of  this  descent.  If  the  sole  is 
pressed  upon  by  the  coffin-bone  during  the  lengthening  of  the 
elastic  laminae,  and  the  shoe  will  not  permit  its  descent,  the  sen- 
sible part  between  the  coffin-bone  and  the  horn  will  necessarily 
be  bruised,  and  inflammation  and  lameness  will  ensue.  It  is 
from  this  cause,  that  if  a  stone  insinuates  itself  between  the  shoe 
and  the  sole,  it  produces  so  much  lameness.  Of  the  too  great 
concavity  of  the  sole,  or  the  want  of  concavity  in  it,  we  shall 
treat  when  we  arrive  at  diseases  of  the  foot. 

THE  FROG. 

In  the  space  between  the  bars,  and  accurately  filling  it,  is  tnc 
FROG.  It  is  a  triangular  portion  of  horn,  projecting  from  the  so^e, 
almost  on  a  level  with  the  crust,  and  covering  and  defending  a 
soft  and  elastic  substance  called  the  sensible  frog.  Its  s/.a]);*  all 
are  familiar  with.  It  is  firmly  united  to  the  sole,  but  is  p..  i  i-;-T':y 
distinct  from  it.  It  is  softer  and  far  more  elastic.  It  dischar..:-!- 
various  duties  besides  the  one  above  named.  It  comes  in  cont.i.'t 
with  the  ground  and  prevents  the  horse  from  slipping,  especially 
when  the  heel  comes  first  to  the  ground,  as  in  galloping.  It  as- 
sists materially  in  the  expansion  of  the  foot.  To  discharge  these 
various  duties,  it  must  come  in  contact  with  the  ground,  and  in 


■"HE    COFFIN-BONE.  299 

the  unshod  horse  is  always  so.     The  practice  of  cutting  much  of 
it  away  in  shoeing,  is  therefore  highly  improper. 

The  rough  and  detached  parts  should  be  cut  off  at  each  shoe- 
ing, and  the  substance  of  the  frog  itself,  so  as  to  bring  it  just 
above  or  within  the  level  of  the  slice.  It  will  then,  in  the  de- 
scent of  the  sole,  when  the  weight  of  the  horse  is  thrown  upon 
it  in  the  putting  down  of  the  foot,  descend  likewise,  and  pressing 
upon  the  ground,  do  its  duty  ;  while  it  will  be  defended  from  the 
wear,  and  bruise,  and  injury  that  it  would  receive  if  it  came  upon 
the  ground  with  the  first  and  full  sliock  of  the  weight.  This  will 
be  the  proper  guide  to  the  smith  in  shoeing,  and  to  the  proprietor 
in  the  direction  which  he  gives. 

THE  COFFIN-BONE. 

The  Ulterior  part  of  the  foot  must  now  be  considered.  The 
lower  pastern,  a  small  portion  of  which  (see  d,  Fig.  37)  is  con- 
tained in  the  horny  box,  has  been  already  described,  p.  267 — Be- 
neath it,  and  altogether  inclosed  in  the  hoof,  is  the  coffin-bone,  or 
proper  bone  of  the  foot,  (see  /,  Fig.  37,  and  d,  Fig.  38).  It  is 
fitted  to,  and  fills  the  fore  part  of  the  hoof,  occupying  about  half 
of  it.  It  is  of  a  light  and  spongy  structure  (see  d,  Fig.  38),  and 
filled  with  numerous  minute  foramina  (holes  or  pores).  Through 
these  pass  the  blood-vessels  and  nerves  of  the  foot,  which  are  ne- 
cessarily numerous,  considering  the  important  and  various  secre 
tions  there  carrying  on,  and  the  circulation  through  the  foot  which 
could  not  possibly  be  kept  up  if  these  vessels  did  not  run  through 
the  substance  of  the  bone.  Considering  the  manner  in  which 
this  bone  is  inclosed  in  the  horny  box,  and  yet  the  important  sur- 
faces around  and  below  it  that  are  to  be  nourished  with  blood,  the 
circulation  which  is  thus  carried  on  within  the  very  body  of  the 
bone  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  provisions  of  nature  that  is  to 
be  found  in  the  whole  frame.  No  inconvenience  can  arise  from 
occasional  or  constant  pressure,  but  the  bone  allows  free  passage 
to  the  blood,  and  protects  it  from  every  possible  obstruction. 

Its  shape  and  position  within  the  foot  will  be  seen  by  inspect- 
ing Fig.  37. 

On  the  front  and  sides  of  the  coffin-bone  are  laminae  or  leaves 
— cartilaginous  fleshy  plates — running  down  between  the  horny 
leaves  of  the  crust.  The  substance  which  connects  these  leave 
with  the  coffin-bone  is  highly  elastic — and  necessarily  so — as 
while  the  horse  is  at  rest,  his  whole  weight  is  supported  by  them. 
This  has  been  proved  by  experiment.  The  sole,  bars,  and  frog 
were  removed  from  the  foot  of  a  horse,  and  yet  as  he  stood,  the 
coffin-hone  did  not  in  the  slightest  degree  descend.  But  when 
th«  .horse  is  moving,  both  sets  of  leaves — those  of  the  coffin-bone 


300  THE    SENSIBLE    SOLE FROG NAVICULAR    BONE. 

and  the  superior  portion  of  the  crust,  gradually  lengthen,  and 
suffer  the  coffin-bone  to  press  on  the  sole.  The  sole  then  descends, 
and  in  descending,  expands  ;  and  so,  by  an  admirable  mechanism, 
the  violent  shock  which  would  be  produced  by  the  pressure  of 
such  a  weight  as  that  of  the  horse,  and  the  velocity  with  which 
it  descends,  is  lessened  or  destroyed,  and  the  complicated  apparatus 
oi^  the  foot  remains  uninjured. 

THE  SENSIBLE  SOLE. 

Between  the  coffin-bone  and  the  horny  sole  is  situated  the  sen- 
sible sole,  (Fig",  37,)  formed  above  of  a  substance  of  a  ligamentous 
or  tendinous  nature,  and  below  of  a  cuticular  or  skin-like  sub 
stance,  plentifully  supplied  with  blood-vessels.  It  was  placed 
between  the  coffin-bone  and  the  sole,  by  its  yielding  structure  to 
assist  in  preventing  concussion,  and  also  to  form  a  supply  of  horn 
for  the  sole.  It  extends  beyond  the  coffin-bone,  but  not  at  all 
under  the  frog.  Leaving  a  space  for  the  frog,  it  proceeds  over 
the  bars,  and  there  is  covered  by  some  laminae,  to  unite  with  those 
that  have  been  described,  page  293,  as  found  in  the  bars.  It  is 
here  likewise  thicker,  and  more  elastic,  and  by  its  elasticity  is 
evidently  assisting  in  obviating  concussion.  It  is  supplied  with 
nervous  fibres,  and  is  highly  sensible,  as  the  slightest  experience 
in  horses  Avill  evince.  The  lameness  which  ensues  from  tlie  pres- 
sure of  a  stone,  or  of  the  shoe,  on  the  sole  is  caused  by  inilamma- 
tion  of  the  sensible  sole.  Corns  result  from  bruise  and  inflamma- 
tion of  the  sensible  sole,  between  the  crust  and  the  bar. 

THE  SENSIBLE  FROG. 

The  coffin-bone  does  not  occupy  more  than  one-half  of  the 
hoof  The  posterior  part  is  filled  by  a  soft  mass,  partly  ligament- 
ous, and  partly  tendinous  (o.  Fig.  37).  Its  shape  below  corres- 
ponds with  the  cavities  of  the  horny  frog ;  in  front  it  is  attached 
to  the  inferior  part  of  the  coffin-bone  ;  and  farther  back,  it  ad- 
heres to  the  lower  part  of  the  cartilages  of  the  heels,  where  they 
begin  to  form  the  rounded  protuberances  that  constitute  the  heei 
of  the  foot.  It  occupies  the  whole  of  the  back  part  of  the  foot 
above  the  horny  frog  and  between  the  cartilages.  Running  im- 
mediately above  the  frog,  and  along  the  greater  part  of  it,  we 
find  the  perforans  flexor  tendon,  which  passes  over  the  naviculai^ 
bone,  e,  Fig.  37,  and  is  inserted  into  the  heel  of  the  coffin-bone 

THE   NAVICULAR-BONE 

Is  placed  behind  and  beneath  the  lower  pastern-bone,  and  behina 
and  above  the  heel  of  the  coffin-bone,  e,  Fig.  37,  so  that  it  forms 


THE  CARTILAGES  OF  THE  FOOl.  30 1 

a  joint  with  both  bones,  and  answers  a  very  important  office  in 
streuirthening  the  union  between  these  parts,  in  receiving  a  por- 
tion of  the  weight  which  is  thrown  on  the  lower  pastern  and  in 
enabhng  the  flexor  tendon  to  act  with  more  advantage.  Suppos- 
ing that  this  tendon  were  inserted  into  the  coffin-bone  without  the 
intervention  of  the  navicular  bone,  it  Avould  act  at  great  mechan- 
ical disadvantage  in  bending  the  pastern,  for  it  is  inserted  near 
the  end  of  the  coffin-bone,  and  the  weight,  concentrated  about 
the  middle  of  the  bone,  is  far  ofi^,  and  requires  a  great  power  to 
raise  it ;  but  when  the  navicular-bone  is  interposed,  the  centre  of 
motion  becomes  the  posterior  edge  of  that  bone,  where  it  is  in 
contact  with  the  tendon,  and  then  it  will  be  seen  that  the  distance 
of  the  power  from  the  centre  of  motion  is  nearly  or  quite  the 
same  as  the  weight,  and  very  great  expenditure  of  muscular 
power  will  be  saved.  In  the  one  case,  the  power  must  be  at  least 
double  the  weight,  in  the  other  they  will  be  nearly  equal ;  and 
also  the  angle  at  which  the  tendon  is  inserted,  is  considerably 
more  advantageous.  Perhaps  this  is  the  principal  use  of  the  na 
vicular-bone  ;  yet  at  the  same  time  we  are  aware  of  the  benefit 
which  accrues  (see  Fig.  37)  i'rom  a  portion  of  the  weight  bemg 
taken  from  the  coffin-bone,  and  thrown  on  the  navicular-bone, 
and  from  it  on  the  tendon,  and  the  tendon  resting  on  the  elastic 
frog  underneath. 

THE  CARTILAGES  OF  THE  FOOT. 

There  is  a  groove  extending  along  the  upper  part  of  the  coffin- 
bone  and  on  either  side,  except  at  the  protuberance  Avhich  re- 
ceives the  extensor  tendon  e,  Fig.  37,  occupied  by  cartilage,  wliich, 
like  the  crust,  is  convex  outwards  and  concave  inwards.  It  ex- 
tends to  the  veiy  posterior  part  of  the  foot,  rising  about  the  quar- 
ters half  an  inch  or  more  above  the  hoof,  and  diminishing  in 
height  forward  and  backward.  These  cartilages  occupy  a  greater 
portion  of  the  foot  than  does  the  coffin-bone,  as  will  be  seen  in 
Fig.  40,  where  they  are  represented  as  extending  far  behind  the 
coffin-bone.  They  are  held  in  their  situation  not  merely  by  this 
groove,  but  by  other  connections  with  the  coffin-bone,  the  navi- 
cular bone,  and  the  flexor  tendon,  and  are  thus  perfectly  secured. 

Below  are  other  cartilages  connected  with  the  under  edges  of 
the  former,  and  on  either  side  of  the  frog. 

Between  these  cartilages  is  the  sensible  frog,  filling  up  the 
whole  of  the  space,  and  answering  several  important  purposes. 


CHAPTER  iV. 


THE    DISEASES    OF    THE    FOOT. 


Of  these  there  is  a  long  list.  1  hat  will  not  be  wondered  at  by 
those  who  have  duly  considered  the  complicated  structure  of  the 
foot,  the  duty  it  has  to  perform,  and  the  injuries  to  which  it  is  ex- 
posed. It  will  be  proper  to  commence  with  that  which  is  the 
cause  of  many  other  diseases  of  the  foot,  and  connected  with  al- 
most all. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  FOOT,  OR  ACUTE  FOUNDER. 

The  sensible  lamineb,  or  fleshy  plates  on  the  front  and  sides  of 
the  cofiin-bone,  being  replete  with  blood-vessels,  are,  like  every 
other  vascular  (filled  with  blood-vessels)  part,  liable  to  inflamma- 
tion, from  its  usual  causes,  and  particularly  from  the  violence  with 
which,  in  rapid  and  long-continued  action,  these  parts  are  strained 
and  bruised.  When  battered  and  bruised  by  severe  races  or 
journeys,  it  will  be  no  wonder  if  inflammation  of"  the  over- worked 
parts  should  ensue  ;  and  the  occurrence  of  it  may  probably  be 
produced,  and  the  disease  aggravated  by  the  too  prevalent  absurd 
mode  of  treating  the  animal.  If  a  horse  that  has  been  ridden  oi 
driven  hard  is  suflered  to  stand  in  the  cold,  or  if  his  feet  are  wash- 
ed and  not  speedily  dried,  he  is  very  likely  to  have  "  fever  in  the 
feet."  There  is  no  more  fruitful  source  of  inflammation  in  the 
human  being,  or  the  brute,  than  these  sudden  changes  of  temper- 
ature. This  has  been  explained  as  it  regards  grease,  but  it  bears 
mor^  immediately  on  the  point  now  under  consideration.  The 
danger  is  not  confined  to  change  from  heat  to  cold.  Sudden 
transition  from  cold  to  heat  is  as  injurious,  and  therefore  it  is  that 
so  many  horses,  after  having  been  ridden  far  in  frost  and  snow, 
and  placed  immediately  in  a  hot  stable,  and  littered  up  to  the 
knees,  are  attacked  by  this  malady. 

Sometimes  there  is  a  sudden  change  of  inflammation  from  one 
organ  to  another.  A  horse  may  have  labored  for  several  days 
under  evident  inflammation  of  the  lungs  ;  all  at  once  that  will 
Bdbside,  and  the  disease  will  appear  in  the  feet,  or  inflammation 


INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    FOOT.  303 

of  the  feet  may  follow  similar  affections  in  the  boAvels  or  the  eyes. 
In  cases  of  severe  indainniation  of  the  lungs,  it  may  not  be  bad 
practice  to  remove  the  slices  and  poultice  the  feet. 

To  the  attentive  observer  the  symptons  are  clearly  marked,  and 
yet  there  is  no  disease  so  often  overlooked  by  the  groom  and  the 
carter,  and  even  by  the  veterinary  surgeon.  The  disease  may  as- 
sume an  acute  or  chronic  form.  The  earlie.;l  .-yinptoms  of  fever 
in  the  feet  are  fidgetiness,  frequent  shifting  Oi  i  \q  fore-legs,  but 
no  pawing,  much  less  any  attempt  to  reach  the  belly  with  the 
hind-feet.  The  pulse  is  quickened,  the  flanks  heaving,  the  nos- 
trils red,  and  the  horse,  by  his  anxious  countenance,  and  possibly 
moaning,  indicating  great  pain.  Presently  he  looks  about  his  lit- 
ter, as  if  preparing  to  lie  down,  but  he  does  not  do  so  immedi- 
ately ;  he  continues  to  shift  his  weight  from  foot  to  foot ;  he  is 
afraid  to  draw  his  feet  sufficiently  under  him  for  the  purpose  of 
lying  down  :  but  at  length  he  drops.  The  circumstance  of  his 
lying  down  at  an  early  period  of  the  disease  will  sufficiently  dis- 
tinguish inflammation  of  the  feet  from  that  of  the  lungs,  in  which 
the  horse  obstinately  persists  in  standing  until  he  drops  from  mere 
exhaustion.  His  quietness  when  down  will  distinguish  it  from 
colic  or  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  in  both  of  which  the  horse  is 
up  and  down,  and  frequently  rolling  and  kicking  when  down. 
When  the  grievance  is  in  the  feet,  the  horse  experiences  so  much 
relief,  from  getting  rid  of  the  weight  painfully  distending  the  in- 
flamed and  highly  sensible  laminae,  that  he  is  glad  to  lie  as  long 
as  he  can.  He  will  likewise,  as  clearly  as  in  inflammation  of  the 
lungs  or  bowels,  point  out  the  seat  of  disease  by  looking  at  the 
part.  His  muzzle  will  often  rest  on  the  feet  or  the  affected  foot. 
He  must  be  inattentive  who  is  not  aware  of  what  all  this  indi- 
cates. 

If  the  feet  are  now  examined,  they  will  be  found  evidently  hot, 
The  patient  will  express  pain  if  they  are  slightly  rapped  with  a 
hammer,  and  the  artery  at  the  pastern  will  throb  violently.  No 
great  time  will  now  pass,  if  the  disease  is  suffered  to  pursue  its 
course,  before  he  will  be  perfectly  unable  to  rise ;  or,  if  he  is 
forced  to  get  up,  and  one  foot  is  lifted,  he  will  stand  with  difficul- 
ty on  the  other,  or  perhaps  drop  at  once  from  intensity  of  pain. 

The  treatment  will  resemble  that  of  other  inflammations,  with 
such  diflerences  as  the  situation  of  the  disease  may  suggest. 

Bleeding  is  indispensable  ;  and  that  to  its  fullest  extent.  If  the 
disease  is  confined  to  the  fore-feet,  four  quarts  of  blood  should  be 
taken  as  soon  as  possible  from  the  toe  of  each  at  the  situation 
pointed  out,  fig.  z,  page  263,  and  in  the  manner  already  described  ; 
care  being  taken  to  open  the  artery  as  well  as  the  vein.  The 
feet  may  likewise  be  put  into  warm  water,  to  quicken  the  flow 
of  the  blood,  and  increase  the  quantity  abstracted.     Poultices  of 


304  INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    FOOT. 

jnseed  meal,  made  very  soft,  should  cover  the  whole  of  the  foot 
and  pastern,  and  be  frequently  renewed,  which  will  promote  eva 
poration  from  the  neighboring  parts,  and  possibly  through  the 
pores  of  the  hoof,  nnd  by  softening  and  rendering  supple  the  hoof, 
will  relieve  its  painful  pressure  on  the  swelled  and  tender  parts 
beneath.  More  fully  to  accomplish  this  last  purpose,  the  shoe 
should  be  removed,  tho  sole  pared  as  thin  as  possible,  and  the 
crust,  and  particularly  the  quarters,  well  rasped.  All  this  must 
be  done  gently,  and  with  a  great  deal  of  patience,  for  the  poor  ani- 
mal can  scarcely  bear  his  feet  to  be  meddled  with.  There  used 
to  be  occasional  doubt  as  to  the  administration  of  physic,  Irom  fear 
of  metastasis  (shilting)  of  inflammation  which  has  sometimes  oc- 
curred, and  been  generally  fatal.  When,  however,  there  is  so 
much  danger  of  losing  the  patient  from  the  original  attack,  we 
nmst  run  the  risk  of  the  other.  Sedative  and  cooling  medicines 
should  be  diligently  administered,  consisting  of  digitalis,  nitre, 
and  emetic  tartar. 

If  no  amendment  is  observed,  three  quarts  of  blood  should  be 
taken  from  each  foot  on  the  following  day.  In  extreme  cases,  a 
third  bleeding  of  two  quarts  may  be  justifiable,  and,  instead  of 
the  poultice,  clothes  kept  wet  with  water  in  which  nitre  has  been 
dissolved  mvinediately  before,  and  in  the  proportion  of  an  ounce 
of  nitre  to  a  pound  of  water,  may  be  wrapped  round  the  feet. 
About  the  third  day  a  blister  may  be  tried,  taking  in  the  whole 
of  the  pastern  and  the  coronet ;  but  a  cradle  miust  previously  be 
put  on  the  neck  of  the  horse,  and  the  feet  must  be  covered  after 
the  blister,  or  they  will  probably  be  sadly  blemished.  The  horse 
should  be  kept  on  mash  diet,  unless  green  meat  can  be  procured 
for  him  ;  and  even  that  should  not  be  given  too  liberally,  nor 
should  he,  in  the  slightest  degree,  be  coaxed  to  eat.  When  he 
appears  to  be  recovering,  his  getting  on  his  feet  should  not  be  hur- 
ried. It  should  be  left  perfectly  to  his  own  discretion  ;  nor  should 
even  walking  exercise  be  permitted  until  he  stands  firm  on  his 
feet.  When  that  is  the  case,  and  the  season  will  permit,  two 
months'  run  at  grass  will  be  very  serviceable. 

It  is  not  always,  however,  or  often,  that  inflammation  of  the 
feet  is  thus  easily  subdued  ;  and,  if  it  is  subdued,  it  sometimes 
leaves  after  it  some  fearful  consequences.  The  loss  of  the  hoof  is 
not  an  unfrequent  one.  About  six  or  seven  days  from  the  first 
attack,  a  slight  separation  will  begin  to  appear  between  the 
coronet  and  the  hoof.  This  should  be  carefully  attended  to,  for 
the  separated  horn  will  never  again  unite  with  the  parts  beneath, 
but  the  disunion  will  extend,  and  the  hoof  will  be  lost.  It  is 
true  that  a  ncAV  hoof  will  be  formed,  but  it  will  be  smaller  in 
size  and  weaker  than  the  first,  and  will  rarely  stand  hard  work. 
When  this  separation  is  observed,  it  will  be  a  malter  of  calcula- 


CHRONIC    FOUNDER PUMICED    FEET.  805 

tion  with  the  proprietor  of  the  horse  whether  he  will  suffer  the 
medical  treatment  to  proceed.* 

CHRONIC  FOUNDER. 

Tliis  is  a  species  of  founder,  insidious  in  its  attack,  and  des- 
tructive to  the  horse.  It  is  a  milder  form  of  the  preceding  dis- 
ease. There  is  lameness,  but  it  is  not  so  severe  as  in  the  former 
case.  The  horse  stands  as  usual.  The  crust  is  warm,  and  that 
warmth  is  constant,  but  it  is  not  often  probably  greater  than  in 
a  state  of  health.  The  surest  symptoms  is  the  action  of  the  ani- 
mal. It  is  diametrically  opposite  to  that  in  the  navicular  disease. 
The  horse  throws  as  much  of  his  weight  as  he  can,  on  the  poste- 
rior parts  of  his  feet. 

T  lie  treatment  should  be  similar  to  that  recommended  for  the 
acute  disease — blood-letting,  soultices,  fomentations,  and  blisters, 
and  the  last  much  sooner  and  much  more  frequently  than  in  the 
former  disease. 

PUMICED  FEET. 

The  sensible  and  horny  little  plates  which  were  elongated  and 
partially  separated  during  the  intensity  of  the  inflammation  of 
founder,  will  not  always  perfectly  unite  again,  or  will  have  lost 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — Laminitls,  or  inflammation  of  the  lamince  of  the 
feet  (or  acute  founder),  though  often  occasioned  by  long-continued  exertion 
on  the  hard  road,  is  not  produced  by  galloping  on  the  turf,  and,  indeed, 
scarcely  ever  affects  race-horses.  Heavier  breeds  are  more  liable,  and  par 
ticularly  when  the  feet  are  weak  in  proportion  to  the  weight  of  the  animal. 
When  horses  work  on  soft  ground,  the  sole  and  the  frog  bear  some  propor- 
tion of  the  weight,  but  on  the  hard  road  the  shoe  alone  conies  in  contact 
with  the  ground,  and  consequently  the  crust  and  the  laminae  bear  the  whole 
of  the  weight,  and  thus  are  exposed  to  inflammatory  action  from  this  cause. 
Some  relief,  however,  is  obtained  by  the  feet  being  alternately  in  the  air  and 
on  the  ground ;  but  when  horses  are  confined  many  days  in  a  standing  pos- 
ture, as  on  board  ship,  the  laminae  are  almost  constantly  on  the  stretch ; 
this  disease,  therefore,  very  frequently  follows  a  voyage,  and  has  often  at- 
tacked troop-horses,  particularly  Avhen  the  voyage  lias  been  rough  and  of 
undue  continuance.  When,  however,  laminitis  suspenses  as  a  seconilary 
disease,  the  prior  disorder  afi'ects  a  similar  tissue  as  the  otlier ;  thus  it  is 
when  pleurisy  is  succeeded  with  laminitis,  both  the  pleura  and  the  laminae 
being  fibrous  tissues  and  of  the  same  character.  Such  likew^ise  is  the  case 
when  acute  rheumatism  is  the  prior  disease. 

With  regard  to  treatment,  the  most  energetic  measures  must  be  aaopred, 
as  advised  in  the  text.  It  is  not  however  judicious  to  bleed  a  second  time 
in  the  feet,  but  better  to  repeat  the  bleeding  from  the  arm.s  or  the  coronets. 
When  a  blister  is  applied  its  effects  should  be  washed  oft'  the  following  day, 
by  doing  which  it  can  be  repeated  several  times.  Bleeding,  however,  is  tho 
sheet-anchor,  and  there  is  generally  a  capability  of  bearing  a  large  deph- 
tion.,  20 


80';  PUMICED    FEET. 

much  of  their  elasticity,  and  the  coffin-bone,  no  longer  fully  sup 
ported  by  them,  presses  upon  the  sole,  and  the  sole  becomes  flat 
tened,  or  convex,  from  this  unnatural  weight,  and  the  horse  ac- 
quires a  PUMICED  FOOT.  This  will  also  happen  when  the  anima, 
is  used  too  soon  after  an  attack  of  inflammation  of  the  feet,  and 
before  the  laminae  have  reigained  sufficient  strength  to  support 
the  weight  of  the  horse,  or  to  contract  again  by  their  elastic 
power  when  they  have  yielded  to  the  weight.  When  the  coffin- 
bone  is  thus  thrown  on  the  sole,  and  renders  it  pumiced,  the 
crust  at  the  front  of  the  hoof  will  ''fall  in,'"  leaving  a  kind  of 
hollow  about  the  middle  of  it. 

Pumiced  feet,  especially  in  horses  with  large,  wide  feet,  are 
frequently  produced  without  this  acute  inflammation.  Undue 
work,  and  especially  much  battering  of  the  feet  on  the  pavement, 
will  extend  and  sprain  these  laminae  so  much,  that  they  will  not 
have  the  power  to  contract,  and  thus  the  coffin-bone  will  be 
thrown  backward  on  the  sole.  A  very  important  law  of  nature 
will  unfortunately  soon  be  active  here.  When  pressure  is  ap- 
plied to  any  part,  the  absorbents  become  busy  in  removing  it ;  so, 
when  the  coffin-bone  begins  to  press  upon  the  sole,  the  sole  be- 
comes thin  from  the  increased  wear  and  tear  to  which  it  is  sub- 
jected by  contact  with  the  ground,  and  also  because  these  absorb- 
ents are  rapidly  taking  it  away. 

This  is  one  of  the  diseases  of  the  feet  for  which  there  is  no 
cure.  No  skill  is  competent  to  efiect  a  reunion  between  the  sep- 
Lici.ccd  liesny  and  horny  laminae,  or  to  restore  to  them  tHe 
strength  and  elasticity  of  which  they  have  been  deprived,  or  to 
take  up  that  hard,  horny  substance  which  speedily  fills  the  space 
between  the  crust  and  the  receding  coffin-bone. 

All  that  can  be  done  in  the  way  of  palliation  is  by  shoeing. 
Nothing  must  press  on  the  projecting  and  pumiced  part.  If  the 
projection  is  not  considerable,  a  thick  bar-shoe  is  the  best  thing 
that  can  be  applied  ;  but  should  this  sole  have  much  descended, 
a  shoe  with  a  very  wide  web,  bevelled  off^  so  as  not  to  press  on 
the  part,  may  be  used.  These  means  of  relief,  however,  are  only 
temporary,  the  disease  will  proceed  ;  and,  at  no  great  distance 
of  time,  the  horse  will  be  useless. *" 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — "When  this  disease  follo-ws  that  previously 
treated  of  in  tlie  preceding  article,  the  horse  is  rendered  completely  unser- 
viceable, the  laminae  become  disorganized,  the  coffin-bone  separates  from 
the  crust  and  descends  on  the  sensible  sole,  which,  unable  to  bear  the  pres- 
sure, becomes  bruised  and  diseased,  and  in  fact  the  horse  is  incurably  lame. 
When,  however,  a  convex  foot  is  gradual  in  its  approach,  and  the  sole  be- 
comes pumiced  by  degrees,  there  is  some  palliation  to  be  offered ;  in  such 
instances  there  is  usually  a  weak  foot  previously,  giving  a  predisposition  to 
the  disease.  In  this  case  likewise  the  toe  of  the  bone  recedes  from  the 
crust,  a  horny  substance  is  thrown  out  between  them,  which  is  however  of 


nONTRACTION.  307 


CONTRACTION. 


Fig:.  47,  will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  young  and  healthy  foot, 
approaching  nearly  to  a  circle,  and  of  which  the  quarters  form 
the  widest  part,  and  the  inner  quarter  (this  is  the  near  foot) 
rather  wider  than  the  outer.  This  shape  is  not  long  preserved 
in  many  horses,  but  the  foot  increases  in  length,  and  narrows  in 
the  quarters,  and  particularly  at  the  heel,  and  the  frog  is  dimin- 
ished in  width,  and  the  sole  becomes  more  concave,  and  the 
heels  higher,  and  'lameness,  or  at  least  a  shortened  and  feeling 
action,  ensues. 

It  must  be  premised  that  there  is  a  great  deal  more  horror  of 
contracted  heels  than  there  is  occasion  for.  Many  persons  reject 
a  horse  at  once  if  the  quarters  are  luiring  in ;  but  the  fact  is, 
that  although  this  is  an  unnatural  form  of  the  hoof,  it  is  slow  of 
growth,  and  nature  kindly  makes  that  provision  for  the  slowly 
altered  form  of  the  hoof  which  she  does  in  similar  cases — she  ao 
commodates  the  parts  to  the  change  of  form.  As  the  hoof  draws 
in,  t]ie  parts  beneath,  and  particularly  the  coffin-bone,  and  espe- 
cially the  heels  of  that  bone,  diminish ;  or,  after  all,  it  is  more  a 
change  of  form  than  of  capacity.  As  the  foot  lengthens  in  pro- 
portion as  it  narrows,  so  does  the  coffin-bone,  and  it  is  as  perfectly 
adjusted  as  before  to  the  box  in  which  it  is  placed.  Its  laminae 
are  in  as  intimate  and  perfect  union  with  those  of  the  crust  as 
before  the  hoof  had  begun  to  change.  On  this  account  it  is  that 
many  horses,  with  very  contracted  feet,  are  perfectly  sound,  and 
no  horse  should  be  rejected  merely  because  he  has  contraction. 
He  should  undoubtedly  be  examined  more  carefully,  and  with 
considerable  suspicion  ;  but  if  he  has  good  action,  and  is  other- 
wise unexceptionable,  there  is  no  reason  that  the  purchase  should 
not  be  made.  A  horse  Avith  contracted  feet,  if  he  goes  sound,  is 
better  than  another  with  open  but  weak  heels. 

The  opinion  is  perfectly  erroneous  that  contraction  is  the  ne- 

no  use  as  a  support ;  the  front  of  the  foot,  usually  the  strongest,  now  be- 
comes the  weakest,  and  the  horse  goes  mostly  upon  his  heels.  A  cure  being 
out  of  the  question,  we  must  endeavor  to  palliate  as  best  we  can,  and  this 
we  shall  do  by  means  of  shoeing.  A  bar-shoe  should  be  nailed  on,  well 
hollowed  out,  so  as  not  to  press  on  the  sole  in  the  slightest  degree,  and  a 
rim  of  leather  should  be  put  under  the  shoe  to  diminish  concussion,  but 
should  not  extend  over  the  sole.  The  bar  should  be  put  on  so  as  to  be 
within  the  eighth  of  an  inch  from  the  frog,  by  which  means  pressure  only 
will  be  given  it  when  the  foot  is  on  the  ground,  and  it  will  thus  be  enabled 
to  support  a  moderate  share  of  the  superincumbent  weiijht,  and  so  relieve 
the  crust  of  it.  The  hoof  should  be  frequently  anointed  with  a  mixture  of 
tar  and  grease,  and  if  the  horse  is  rested  for  some  time  the  coronets  may  be 
Blistered 


308  CONTRACTIOH. 

cessaiy  consequence  of  shoeing.  There  can  be  no  doubt  tiiat  an 
inflexible  iron  ring  being  nailed  to  the  foot  prevents,  to  a  very 
considerable  degree,  the  descent  of  the  sole  and  the  expansion  of 
the  heels  below  ;  and  it  is  likewise  probable,  that  when  the  ex 
pansion  of  the  heels  is  prevented  they  often  begin  to  contract. 
But  here,  as  before  stated,  nature  makes  provision  for  the  change. 
Some  gentlemen  who  are  careful  of  their  horses  have  driven  them 
twenty  years,  and  principally  over  the  rough  pavement  of"  towns, 
without  a  day's  lameness.  Shoeing  may  be  a  necessary  evil,  but 
it  is  not  the  evil  which  many  speculative  persons  have  supposed 
it,  and  notwithstanding  its  effects,  the  foot  ordinarily  lasts  longer 
than  the  legs  ;  nay,  horsemen  tell  us  that  one  pair  of  good  feet  is 
worth  two  pairs  of  legs. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  appearance  of  the  feet  which  would 
enable  us  to  decide  when  contraction  is  or  is  not  destructive  to 
the  usefulness  of  the  animal ;  his  mamier  of  going,  and  his  capa- 
bility for  work,  must  be  our  guides.  Lameness  usually  accom- 
panies the  beginning  of  contraction  ;  it  is  the  invariable  attendant 
on  rapid  contraction,  but  it  does  not  always  exist  when  the  ivir- 
ing  in  is  slow,  or  of  long  standing. 

A  very  excellent  writer,  particularly  when  treating  of  the  foot 
of  the  horse,  Mr.  Blaine,  has  given  us  a  long  and  correct  list  of 
the  causes  of  injurious  contraction,  and  most  of  them  are,  fortu- 
nately, under  the  control  of  the  owner  of  the  animal.  He  places 
at  the  head  of  them,  neglect  of  j)aring.  The  hoof  is  continually 
growing,  the  crust  is  lengthening,  and  the  sole  is  thickening. 
This  is  a  provision  for  the  wear  and  tear  of  the  foot  in  an  unshod 
state  ;  but  when  it  is  protected  by  a  shoe,  and  none  of  the  horn 
-can  be  worn  away  by  coming  in  contact  with  the  ground,  and  the 
growth  of  horn  continues,  the  hoof  grows  high,  and  the  sole  gets 
thick,  and,  in  consequence  of  this,  the  descent  of  the  sole  and  the 
expansion  of  the  heels  are  prevented,  and  contraction  is  the  re- 
sult. The  smith  might  lessen,  if  not  prevent  the  evil,  by  care- 
fully thinning  the  sole  and  lowering  the  heels  at  each  shoeing ; 
but  the  first  of  these  is  a  matter  of  considerable  labor,  aad  the 
second  could  not  be  done  efiectually  without  being  accompanied 
by  the  first,  and  therefore  they  are  both  neglected.  Owners 
should  often  stand  by  and  see  that  this  is  properly  done. 

Wearing  the  shoes  too  long,  especially  when  nails  are  placed 
nearer  than  they  should  be  to  the  quarters  to  make  the  shoes 
hold,  is  another  cause  of  contraction.  There  is  no  rule  which 
admits  of  so  little  exception  as  that,  once  in  about  every  three 
weeks,  the  growth  of  horn  which  the  natural  wear  of  the  foot 
cannot  get  rid  of,  should  be  pared  away — the  toe  should  be 
shortened  in  most  feet — the  sole  should  be  thinned,  and  the  heels 
lowered      Every  one  who  has  carefully  observed  the  shape  of  the 


CONTRACTION.  30& 

horse's  foot,  must  have  S(3eu  that  in  proportion  to  its  height  oi 
neglected  growth,  it  contracts  and  closes  round  the  coronet.  A 
low-lieeled  horse  might  have  other  serious  defects,  of  which  it 
will  be  our  duty  to  speak,  but  he  has  seldom  a  contracted 
foot. 

Another  source  of  contraction  is  the  want  of  natural  moisture. 
The  hoof  of  tlie  stable-horse  kept  from  moisture  becomes  dry  and 
unelastic,  and,  consequently,  is  rendered  more  subject  to  this  dis- 
ease. Hence  the  propriety  of  stopping  the  feet  where  there  is 
the  least  tendency  to  contraction.  The  intelligent  and  careliil 
groom  will  not  omit  it  a  single  night.  Cow-dung,  with  a  small 
portion  of  clay  to  give  it  consistence,  is  a  common  and  very  good 
stopping.  A  better  one  is  a  piece  of  thick  felt,  cut  to  the  shape 
of  the  sole,  and  soaked  in  water.  The  common  stopping  of  tar 
and  grease  is  peculiarly  objectionable,  for  it  closes  the  pores  of 
the  feet,  and  ultimately  increases  the  dryness  and  brittleness 
Avhich  it  was  designed  to  remedy. 

Thrushes  aid  sometimes  in  producing  contraction,  but  they  are 
much  oftener  the  consequence  than  the  cause. 

The  removal  of  the  bars  takes  away  a  main  impediment 
to  contraction.  Their  use  in  assisting  the  expansion  of  the  foot 
has  been  already  stated,  and  should  a  disposition  to  contraction 
be  produced  by  any  other  cause,  the  cutting  away  of  the  bars 
would  hasten  and  aggravate  the  evil ;  but  the  loss  of  the  bar 
would  not  of  itself  produce  contraction. 

The  contraction,  hoAvever,  that  is  connected  with  permanent 
lameness,  although  increased  by  the  circumstances  which  we 
have  mentioned,  usually  derives  its  origin  from  a  different  source, 
and  from  one  that  acts  violently  and  suddenly.  Inflammation 
of  the  little  plates  covering  the  cofHn-bone  is  the  most  usual 
cause  ;  and  a  degree  of  inflammation  not  sufficiently  intense  to 
be  characterized  as  acute  founder,  but  quickly  leading  to  sad  re- 
sults, may  and  does  spring  from  causes  almost  unsuspected. 
Something  may  depend  upon  the  breed.  Blood-horses  are  partic- 
ularly liable  to  contraction.  Not  only  is  the  foot  naturally  small, 
but  it  is  disposed  to  become  narrower  at  the  heels.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  broad,  flat  foot  of  the  cart-horse  is  subject  to  diseases 
enough,  but  contraction  is  seldom  one  of  the  number.  In  horses 
of  equal  blood,  not  a  little  seems  to  depend  upon  the  color,  and 
the  dark  chestnut  is  proverbially  prone  to  contraction. 

Whatever  is  the  cause  of  that  rapid  contraction  or  narrowing 
of  the  heels  which  is  accompanied  by  severe  lameness,  the  symp- 
toms may  oe  easily  distinguished.  While  standing  in  the  stable, 
the  horse  will  point  with,  or  place  forward,  the  contracted  foot ; 
or  il  both  feet  are  affected,  he  will  alternately  place  one  before 
the- other.     When  he  is  taken  out  of  the  stable,  his  step  will  \^ 


310  CONTRACTION. 

peculiarly  short  and  quick,  and  the  feet  will  be  placed  gently  and 
tenderly  on  the  ground,  or  scarcely  lifted  from  it  in  the  walk  or 
the  trot.  It  would  seem  as  if  the  slightest  irregularity  of  sur- 
face would  throw  the  animal  down,  and  so  it  threatens  to  do,  for 
he  is  constantly  tripping  and  stumbling.  If  the  fore-feet  are  care- 
fully observed,  one  or  both  of  them  will  be  narrowed  across  the 
quarters  and  towards  the  heels.  In  a  few  cases,  the  whole  of  the, 
ibot  appears  to  be  contracted  and  shrunk  ;  but  in  the  majority 
of  instances,  while  the  heels  are  narrower,  the  foot  is  longer. 
The  contraction  appears  sometimes  in  both  heels  :  at  other  times 
in  the  inner  heel  only  ;  or,  if  both  are  affected,  the  inner  one  is 
%uired  in  the  most,  either  from  the  coronet  to  the  base  of  the 
foot,  or  only  or  principally  at  the  coronet — oftener  near  the 
base  of  the  foot — but  in  most  cases  the  hollow  being  greatest 
about  mid- way  between  the  coronet  and  the  bottom  of  the  foot. 
This  irregularity  on  contraction,  and  uncertainty  as  to  the  place 
of  it,  prove  that  it  is  some  internal  disorganization,  the  seat  of 
which  varies  with  the  portion  of  the  attachment  between  the 
hoof  and  the  foot  that  was  principally  strained  or  injured.  In 
every  recent  case,  the  contracted  part  will  be  hotter  than  the  rest 
of  the  foot,  and  the  sole  will,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  be  unnatu- 
rally concave. 

Of  the  treatment  of  contraction  attended  with  lameness,  little 
that  is  satisfactory  can  be  said.  There  have  been  various  me- 
chanical contrivances,  such  as  clips  of  a  peculiar  form,  and  a 
jointed  shoe,  which,  when  the  foot  was  softened,  was  gradually 
pressed  asunder  at  the  heels  by  a  screw ;  but  all  have  proved  of 
no  avail,  for  the  disease  speedily  returned  Avhen  the  ordinary  shoe 
was  again  applied  to  enable  the  horse  to  work,  and  work  was 
required  of  him. 

If  the  action  of  the  horse  is  not  materially  impaired,  it  is  bet- 
ter to  let  the  contraction  alone,  be  it  as  great  as  it  will.  If  the 
contraction  has  evidently  produced  considerable  lameness,  the 
owner  of  the  horse  will  have  to  calculate  between  his  value,  if 
cured,  the  expense  of  the  cure,  and  the  probability  of  failure. 

The  medical  treatment  should  alone  be  undertaken  by  a  skilful 
veterinary  surgeon,  and  it  will  principally  consist  in  abating  any 
inflammation  that  may  exist,  by  local  bleeding  and  physic, 
paring  the  sole  to  the  utmost  extent  that  it  will  bear ;  rasphi.o 
the  quarters  as  deeply  as  can  be,  without  their  being  too  much 
weakened,  or  the  coronary  ring  (see  h,  Fig.  37),  injured  ;  rasp- 
ing deeply  Ukewise  at  the  toe,  and  perhaps  scoring  at  the  toe 
The  horse  is  afterwards  made  to  stand  during  the  day  in  we\ 
clay,  placed  in  one  of  the  stalls.  He  is  at  night  moved  intc 
another  stall,  and  his  feet  bound  up  thickly  in  wet  cloths  ;  or  he 
is  turned  out  into  wet  pasturage,  with  tips,  or,  if  possible,  with- 


NAVICULAR    DISEASE.  311 

out  them,  and  his  feet  are  frequently  pared  out,  and  the  quarters 
lightly  rasped.  In  five  or  six  months  the  horn  will  generally  have 
growii  down,  when  he  may  be  taken  up,  and  shod  with  shoes  un- 
attached by  nails  on  the  inner  side  of  the  foot,  and  put  to  gentle 
work.  The  foot  will  be  found  very  considerably  enlarged,  and 
the  oviaier  will,  perhaps,  think  that  the  cure  is  accomplished. 
The  horse  may,  possibly,  for  a  time  stand  very  gentle  work,  and 
the  inner  side  of  the  foot  being  left  at  liberty,  its  natural  expan- 
sive process  may  be  resumed  :  the  internal  part  of  the  foot,  how- 
ever, has  not  been  healthily  filled  up  with  the  expansion  of  the 
crust.  If  that  expansion  has  been  effected  IbrAvard  on  the  quar- 
ters, the  crust  will  no  longer  be  in  contact  with  the  lengthened 
and  narrowed  heels  of  the  coffin-bone.  There  will  not  be  the 
natural  adhesion  and  strength,  and  a  very  slight  cause,  or  even 
the  very  habit  of  contraction,  will,  in  spite  of  all  care  and  the 
freedom  of  the  imier  quarter,  in  very  many  instances,  cause  the 
foot  to  wire  in  again  as  badly  as  before.* 

THE  NAVICULAR-JOINT  DISEASE. 

Many  horses  with  well-formed  and  open  feet  become  sadly  and 
permanently  lame,  and  veterinary  surgeons  have  been  puzzled  to 
discover  the  cause.  The  farrier  has  had  his  convenient  explana- 
tion "the  shoulder  ;"  but  the  scientific  practitioner  may  not  have 
been  able  to  discover  an  ostensible  cause  of  lameness  in  the  whole 
limb.  There  is  no  one  accustomed  to  horses  who  does  not  recol- 
lect an  instance  of  this. 

By  reference  to  e.  Fig.  37,  it  will  be  seen  that,  behind  and 
beneath  the  lower  pastern-bone,  and  behind  and  above  the  heel 
of  the  coffin-bone,  is  a  small  bone  called  the  navicular  or  shuttle- 
bone.  It  is  so  placed  as  to  strengthen  the  union  between  the 
lower  pastern  and  the  coffin-bone,  and  to  enable  the  flexor  tendon, 
which  passes  over  it  in  order  to  be  inserted  into  the  bottom  of 
the  coffin-bone,  to  act  with  more  advantage.  It  forms  a  kind 
of  joint  with  that  tendon.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  weight 
thrown  on  the  navicular-bone,  and  from  the  navicular-bone  on 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — A  vast  amount  of  error  has  been  writter:  in 
various  books  with  regard  to  the  subject  of  contraction.  For  our  own 
Darts,  we  believe  that  it  is  in  the  greater  number  of  instances  the  conse- 
-^i^ence  rather  than  the  cause  of  himeness;  and  the  dissection  of  a  great 
number  of  diseased  feet,  has  assured  us  that  when  Uimeness  is  present 
there  is  disease  of  the  navicular-joint,  of  the  pressure  of  which  tliere  cannot 
be  better  proof  than  the  symptom  of  pointing  alluded  to  in  the  text.  It 
is  quite  true  that  some  horses  will  point  from  gait  or  habit,  without  any  dis- 
ease being  present ;  but  when  lameness  exists,  and  the  horse  also  points, 
we  may  take  the  latter  symptom  as  presumptive  evidence  that  the  case  is 
umi  of  navicular-joint  disease. 


312  NAVICULAR    DISEASE. 

the  tendon  ;    and  there   is  a  great  deal   of  motion   oi   play  bo 
tween  them  in  the  bending  and  extension  of  the  pasterns. 

It  is  very  easy  to  conceive  that,  from  sudden  concussion,  or 
trom  rapid  and  overstrained  motion,  and  that,  perljaps,  after  the 
animal  has  been  sometime  a  trest,  and  the  parts  have  not 
adapted  themselves  lor  motion,  there  may  be  too  much  play 
between  the  bone  and  the  tendon — the  delicate  membrane 
which  covers  tlie  bone,  or  the  cartilage  of  the  bone,  may  be 
bruised,  and  inflamed,  and  destroyed  ;  that  all  the  painful  ellects 
of  an  inflamed  and  opened  joint  may  ensue,  and  the  horse  be 
irrecoverably  lame.  Numerous  dissections  have  shown  that  this 
joint,  formed  by  the  tendon  and  the  bone,  has  been  the  frequent, 
and  the  almost  invariable,  seat  of  these  obscure  lamenesses. 
The  membrane  covering  the  cartilage  of  the  bone  has  been 
found  in  an  ulcerated  state  ;  the  cartilage  has  been  ulcerated 
and  eaten  away  ;  the  bone  has  become  carious  or  decayed,  and 
bony  adhesions  have  taken  place  between  the  navicular  and 
the  pastern  and  the  coffin-bones,  and  this  part  of  the  foot  has 
often  become  completely  disorganized  and  useless.  This  joint  is 
probably  the  seat  of  lameness,  not  only  in  well-formed  feet,  but 
in  those  which  become  lame  after  contraction. 

The  cure  of  navicular  disease  is  difficult  and  uncertain.  The 
first  and  all-important  point  is,  the  removal  of  the  inflammation 
in  this  very  susceptible  membrane.  Local  bleeding,  poulticing, 
and  physic  will  be  our  principal  resources.  If  there  is  contrac- 
tion, this  must,  if  possible,  be  removed  by  the  means  already 
pointed  out.  If  there  is  no  contraction,  it  Mdll  nevertheless  be 
prudent  to  get  rid  of  all  surrounding  pressure,  and  to  unfetter,  as 
much  as  possible,  the  inside  heel  of  the  coffin-bone,  by  paring 
the  sole  and  rasping  the  quarters,  and  using  the  shoe  without 
nails  on  the  inner  quarter,  and  applying  cold  poultices  to  the 
coronet  and  the  whole  of  the  foot.  This  is  a  case,  however, 
which  must  be  turned  over  to  the  veterinary  surgeon,  for  he 
alone,  from  his  knowledge  of  the  anatomy  of  the  foot,  and  the 
precise  seat  of  the  disease,  is  competent  to  treat  it.  If  attacked 
on  its  earliest  appeara,nce,  and  before  ulceration  of  the  mem- 
brane of  the  joint  has  taken  place,  it  m.ay  be  radically  cured  : 
but  ulceration  of  the  membrane  will  be  with  difficulty  healed, 
and  decay  of  the  bone  will  for  ever  remain. 

Blistering  the  coronet  will  often  assist  in  promoting  a  cure  bj7 
diverting  the  inflammation  to  another  part,  and  it  will  materially 
qui-'.ken  the  growth  of  the  horn.  A  seton  passed  through  the 
frog  by  a  skilful  operator,  and  approacliing  as  nearly  as  possible 
to  the  seat  of  disease,  has  been  serviceable. 

Neurotomy  (see  p.  86)  may  be  profitably  resorted  to  in  this 
disease,  but  if  the  lameness  is  extreme,  either  with  or  withoyt 


NOTE    BY    MR.    SPOONER.  3li 

contraction,  and  especially  if  there  is  heat  about  the  foot,  the 
operation  is  dangerous.  There  is,  probably,  ulceration  of  the 
membrane — possibly,  decay  of  the  bone  ;  and  the  additional 
friction  to  which  the  parts  would  be  subjected,  by  the  freer  ao 
tion  of  the  horse,  the  sense  of  pain  being  removed,  would  cause 
that  ulceration  or  decay  to  proceed  more  rapidly  until  the  fool 
would  be  completely  disorganized,  or  the  tendon  would  be  gradu- 
ally worn  through  by  rubbing  against  the  roughened  surface  ol" 
the  bone.*" 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — Navicular-joint  disease  is  one  of  the  most  fre 
quent  lamenesses  by  which  the  horse  is  afflicted,  and  one  of  the  most  insidi 
ous  and  incurable.  It  sometimes  comes  on  suddenly  from  a  sudden  jar  or 
strain,  and  then  the  lameness  is  often  very  severe,  and  there  is  no  contraction 
previous  to  the  lameness,  although  afterwards,  from  the  pointing  of  the  foot, 
and  the  consequent  absence  of  the  usual  weight  upon  it,  contraction  is  sure 
to  follow,  mure  frequently,  however,  this  disease  is  gradual  in  its  approach, 
the  horse  points  previous  to  the  lameness,  and,  if  the  foot  is  attentively  exam- 
ined, contraction  in  some  degree  will  be  discovered.  Thus  the  symptoms 
are  Lameness,  Pointing,  and  Contraction,  each  of  which  demands  separate 
consideration,  in  order  that  we  may  understand  the  true  nature  of  this  very 
deceptive  disease,  and  the  more  so  as  it  has  not  been  treated  at  much  length 
in  the  text. 

The  Lameness. — The  degree  of  lameness  in  navicular  disease  admits  of  a 
variety  of  shades.  In  some  cases  we  find  it  manifested  the  first  hundred 
yards  only ;  in  some  it  may  continue  for  a  mile  or  two  and  then  go  off;  in 
others,  again,  it  may  continue  throughout  a  journey,  but  not  so  severely  as  at 
first.  This  circumstance  is  common  to  some  otlier  lamenesses,  but  not  so 
uniformly  the  case  as  in  navicular  disease.  So  important  a  symptom  is  it 
that,  on  ascertaining  its  existence,  it  of  itself  leads  us  strongly  to  suspect  the 
nature  of  the  lameness.  It  is  customary  to  say  of  a  groggy  horse,  '■  Oh  !  he 
will  go  sound  enough  when  he  gets  a  little  warm."  This  peculiarity,  which 
is  common  to  many  lamenesses,  but  more  particularly  to  tiie  navicular  dis- 
ease, is  ascribed  to  the  attention  of  the  horse  being  called  away  from  the  in- 
jured part :  this  in  a  great  measure  is  the  case,  but  we  must  add  that,  in  the 
disease  in  question,  the  secretion  of  synovia  becomes  increased  by  exercise, 
and  the  horse  is  enabled  so  to  dispose  his  weight  as  to  rest  but  very  lightly 
on  the  injured  joint.  In  some  cases  the  lameness  is  so  slight  that  the  utmost 
tact  of  the  practitioner  is  required  to  detect  it :  or  the  horse  may  show  it  on 
the  stones  and  go  sound  on  gravel.  Should  the  horse  be  slightly  lame  in 
both  feet  the  difficulty  is  still  greater,  and  he  may  go  a  long  time  in  this  state 
before  the  owner  thinks  him  actually  lame.  VHien  both  feet  are  thua 
equally  aflected,  however,  the  action  of  the  horse  becomes  altered  in  propor- 
tion to  the  extent  of  mischief;  he  no  longer  bends  the  knee  with  the  same 
freedom  as  before,  his  action  becomes  shorter,  the  heels  of  the  foot  scarcely 
touch  the  ground,  and  the  shoe  will  exhibit  the  toe  almost  worn  away,  whilst 
the  heels  continue  undiminished  in  thickness.  These  circumstances,  whether 
one  leg  or  both  be  affected,  will  at  all  times  materially  assist  our  diagnosis. 
After  the  disease  has  existed  in  both  feet  for  a  considerable  period,  the  horse 
brings  his  hind-legs  under  his  body,  and  makes  them  sustain  the  greater 
part  of  his  weight,  and  in  the  stable  he  almost  constantly  lies  down. 

PoinfAng. — We  should  be  cautious  of  giving  an  opinion  of  the  cause  of 
lameness  until  we  have  seen  the  horse  in  the  stable,  where,  if  there  be  any 
doubt  of  the  matter,  we  should  leave  him  for  a  while  undisturbed.     In  many 

N 


314  NOTE    BY    MR.    SPOONER. 

cases,  on  asking  the  question,  "Does  the  horse  point  ?"  the  groom  will  reply 
"  Oh  yes,  he  has  done  so  for  a  long  time."  Tlie  ascertainment  of  the  length 
of  this  time  will  inform  us  how  long  the  disease  has  been  coming  on.  In 
other  cases,  on  asking  the  same  question,  we  are  told  he  never  points.  The 
former  reply  we  may  generally  depend  on,  but  the  latter  we  must  never 
trust  to ;  for,  unless  the  lame  foot  is  thrust  out  nearly  a  yard  in  front  of  the 
other,  the  groom  does  not  consider  that  the  horse  points.  In  a  case  of  this 
sort  (supposing  all  the  time  that  it  is  one  of  navicular  disease,)  we  shall 
probably  find,  on  noticing  the  horse,  that  tlie  affected  foot  is  advanced  in  some 
degree  beyond  the  otlier,  that  there  is  very  little  weight  resting  on  it,  and 
none  whatever  on  the  heels.  In  navicular  disease  the  horse  always,  or  at 
least  in  ninety-nine  cases  in  a  hundred,  points,  either  little  or  much,  although 
it  may  be  unnoticed  by  the  attendants  ;  it  is,  indeed,  one  of  the  most  striking 
characteristics  of  the  disease.  We  must  not,  however,  always  conclude  that 
because  a  horse  pcnnts  he  must  necessarily  have  the  disease,  although  in  the 
majority  of  instances  we  may  expect  its  approach,  either  early  or  late  ;  but 
some  horses  have  been  known  to  point  for  years  without  going  lame  :  either 
the  horse  lias  pointed  from  habit,  or  the  alteration  of  structure  in  the  foot 
may  be  sufhcient  to  occasion  pointing,  and  yet  by  careful  treatment  prevent- 
ed from  being  so  bad  as  to  produce  lameness.  Some  persons,  having  wit- 
nessed a  case  in  which  a  horse  may  have  pointed  for  a  lengtliened  period 
without  being  lame,  immediately  conclude  that  it  is  of  no  consequence,  thus 
confidently  drawing  an  inference  from  the  narrow  limits  of  their  own  expe- 
rience, and  allowing  it  to  influence  their  conduct.  We  may,  however,  safely 
aver  that  pointing,  if  a  habit,  is,  at  best,  a  wretched  bad  one,  having  so  much 
the  semblance  of  disease ;  and  from  its  so  frequently  being  the  precursor 
of  lameness,  it  materially  lessens  the  value  of  an  animal. 

If  a  horse  is  lame  and  points,  must  we  necessarily  conclude  that  he  has 
navicular  disease?  No;  he  may  point  from  corns  or  from  other  injury  at 
the  posterior  part  of  the  foot,  but  then  this  pointing  is  ditlerent  from  tliat  of 
navicular  disease.  In  the  latter  the  foot  is  generally  set  out  straight;  in  the 
former  it  is  not  extended  so  far,  but  the  heels  are  more  elevated.  In  the 
former,  the  animal  having  put  his  foot  in  the  easiest  position,  turns  his  atten- 
tion to  other  objects,  whilst  in  the  latter  the  solicitude  of  the  horse  is  evidently 
directed  more  continually  to  the  part,  and  if  a  horse  points  from  corns,  the 
lameness  and  pain  are  unusually  severe. 

Contraction. — This  is  a  symptom  that,  either  generally  or  partially,  we 
usually  find  attenchng  navicular  disease.  It  is,  however,  by  no  means  uni- 
versally the  case  ;  indeed  we  occasionally  find  navicular  lameness  without 
any  contraction,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  quite  as  frequently  extensive  con- 
traction without  any  lameness  whatever.  Contraction  is  more  frequently  the 
consequence  than  the  cause  of  lameness,  arising,  as  it  does  most  commonly, 
from  resting  or  favoring  the  foot  which  the  lameness  induces.  There  are  dif- 
ferent sorts  as  Avell  as  different  degrees  of  contraction.  Putting  aside  the 
natural  oblong  narrow  mule's-shape  foot,  which  often  exists  through  life  un 
attended  v/ith  lameness,  we  may  have  the  heels  drawn  in,  the  crust  and  bars 
approaching  with  scarcely  any  space  in  the  coinmissures,  and  the  frog  much 
diminished,  hard,  dry,  and  preternaturally  elevated.  In  other  cases  the  con- 
traction may  be  only  on  one  side,  or  the  foot  may  appear  altogether  free 
from.conttaction,  which  may  be  only  found  to  exist  by  comparing  it  with  the 
other  foot.  There  are  other  cases  in  which  there  may  be  no  apparent  con 
traction,  and  yet  the  parts  are  by  no  means  in  a  natural  or  proper  position 
the  horny  sole  is  preternaturally  arched  and  thick,  and  the  consequence  is 
the  navicular  joint  is  driven  up  higher  in  the  horny  box,  and  instead  of  hav 
ing  a  comparatively  flat  and  elastic  surface  to  repose  on,  it  has  a  hard  ui 
yielding  ridge  formed  by  the  commissures. 


«  NOTE    BY    I\TTl,    SPOONER.  315 

Having  given  the  leading  symptoms  attending  the  disease,  it  wouM  be 
•well  perhaps,  here  to  mention  tiie  morbid  aj)pearince.s  of  the  joint  wliich  ac- 
company tliem,  and  which  post-mortem  exainiiiatitnis  of  the  mahidy  in  its 
different  stages,  exhibit.  Among  some  morbid  specimens  in  my  possession 
one  merely  shows  a  slight  indentation  on  the  ridge  of  the  navicular-bone,  and 
*vhen  recent  the  corresponding  portion  of  the  smew  was  loughened.  The 
horse  had  pointed  a  long  time  prior  to  his  death,  and  was  lame  for  a  mile  or 
so  on  tirst  going  oif. 

Another  specimen  exhibits  holes  in  the  navicular-bone  somewhat  like  a  ca- 
i'ious  tooth,  together  with  very  diminutive  bone  deposits  on  different  parts 
of  the. surface  of  the  bone.  Tlie  mare  to  which  it  had  belonged  had  been 
lame  for  several  years  in  both  feet,  wliich  were  much  contracted,  and  got 
gradually  worse  until  she  was  otdy  tit  to  go  to  plough. 

Another  case  developes  still  greater  disease  on  both  navicular-bones, 
■which  are  ulcerated  in  a  great  degree,  and  present  also  numerous  long  spiculi 
on  their  corticular  surface,  besides  which  there  is  an  ossitication  of  the  infe- 
rior cartilage,  so  that  although  the  bones  have  been  boiled  the  navicular- 
bone  rests  securely  on  the  ossified  parts,  which  must  therefore  have  materi- 
ally saved  the  diseased  tendon.  The  bones  had  belonged  to  a  very  old  horse 
and  favorite  hunter,  that  had  been  lame  for  many  years,  and  had  conse- 
quently been  u--ed  for  agricultural  labor. 

Another  morbid  specimen  is  that  of  the  feet  of  an  old  horse  that  had  been 
groggy  for  some  years.  The  navicular  bones  in  both  feet  were  closely  united 
to  the  riexor  tendons,  and  on  tearing  them  apart  the  fibres  of  the  sinew  were 
lacerated ;  the  greater  part  of  the  posterior  surface  of  these  bones  was  de- 
nuded of  cartilage,  and  presented  a  rough  appearance,  and  the  bones  them- 
selves Avere  situated  higher  up  in  the  hoof  tlian  natural,  asbuming  a  morf 
vertical  or  less  horizontal  position.  Although  this  was  the  position  of  the 
bones,  yet  the  foot  by  a  common  observer  would  have  been  pronounced 
well-shaped ;  the  sole,  however,  I  found  enormously  thick. 

From  a  review  of  the  various  circumstances  which  attend  the  domestica- 
tion of  the  horse,  we  may,  1  think,  justly  conclude  that  most  of  them  operate 
in  inducing  the  disease  in  question.  The  foot  in  its  natural  state  has  a  cUs- 
position  to  contract  when  at  rest,  and  expand  when  pressed  upon.  In  a 
weak  foot  there  is  a  greater  tendency  to  spread  than  contract,  but  in  a  strong 
one  we  may  consider  these  two  antagonist  principles  as  equivalent  to  each 
other.  When,  however,  the  horse  becomes  domesticated,  every  means  is 
used  to  aid  the  contraction  and  to  neutralize  the  disposition  to  expansion. 
The  shoe  is  nailed  to  the  foot  when  the  latter  is  in  its  most  contracted  state, 
and  the  horse  is  confined  in  a  stall  the  greater  part  of  the  day.  On  a 
sudden  he  is  taken  out  of  the  stable,  and,  without  having  prepared  his  joints 
and  limbs  by  preliminary  exercise,  he  is  driven  as  fast  as  he  can  trot  for  the 
space  of  an  hour  or  upwards,  on  the  hard  roatl,  and  then  during  the  remain- 
der of  the  twenty-four  hours  consigned  to  the  stable.  What  is  the  result  of 
this  unnatural  system  ?  By  the  joint  eifects  of  the  shoe,  hot  litter,  an' 
standing  in  the  stable  so  long,  the  foot  so  contracts  that  the  sole  is  dr'  a 
upwards,  and  with  it  the  navicular-bone,  which  thus,  as  we  have  befo-  no- 
ticed, has  a  hard  unyielding  substance  to  rest  upon ;  and  the  joint  saving 
been  in  a  quiescent  state  for  many  hours,  there  is  probably  a  dimini^hed  se 
cretion  of  synovia  (joint  oil).  In  this  unprepared  state  the  feet  are  batterea 
on  the  hard  road,*  and  the  result  is  in  many  cases  a  bruise  of  the  synovial 
membrane,  which  may  either  be  sufficient  to  produce  sudden  and  severe 
lameness,  or  so  moderate  as  to  occasion  the  slightest  lameness  only. 

*  The  reader  will  bear  in  mind  that  Mr.  Spooner  speaks  of  the  Iwd  metal  roads  of 
England.  Our  roads,  hard  only  >fvhen  they  are  dry,  do  not  produce  these  effects  in  a  a<? 
groat  degree.— Am.  Ed. 


316  NOTE    BY    MR.    SPOONEP.  » 

So  far  as  my  experience  goes,  horses  used  for  racing  are  not  so  often  af 
fecttd  as  others,  and  this  circuuistance  must,  I  think,  be  attributed  to  the 
fact  of  their  taking  a  great  deal  of  exercise  on  the  soft  ground,  where  the 
various  parts  of  tlie  feet  meet  the  soil.  ^I'liey  are  not  taken  out  of  the  stable 
and  compelled  to  proceed  at  once  with  speed,  but  even  during  severe  train- 
ing are  hrst  walked  for  a  considerable  period  before  they  take  their  gallops, 
which  thus  gradually  prepares  the  joints  for  the  severer  exertions  they  are 
about  to  perform.  Hunters,  too,  as  we  have  before  remarked,  although  ex- 
posed to  sudden  concussions  and  severe  exertions,  more  perhaps  than  any 
other  horses,  are  yet  much  more  exempt  from  the  disease  than  horses  used 
on  the  road.  How  is  this,  but  because  they  take  much  walking  exercise 
every  day,  and  particularly  on  the  day  of  hunting,  befcjre  their  severe  exer- 
tions commence,  and  these  exertions  are  taken,  in  great  measure,  on  the  soft 
soil,  where  the  frog,  bars,  and  sole  all  meet  the  ground,  and  greatly  assist  in 
diminishing  concussion  and  preserving  the  feet  in  a  healthy  state.  It  is  a 
fact,  too,  that  few  will  gainsay  who  have  made  extensive  observations,  that 
when  hunters  are  affected  with  navicular  disease,  it  is  much  more  frequently 
than  with  other  horses,  attended  by  sudden  and  acute  lameness:  the  horse 
goes  out  perfectly  sound  and  comes  home  dead  lame. 

From  these  circumstance:;  we  are  disposed  to  draw  the  following  conclu- 
sions : — 

First — That  navicular  lameness  may  be  produced  suddenly  by  a  bruise 
on  the  synovial  membrane,  without  any  predisposing  cause  existing,  but 
that  this  is  by  no  means  frequent. 

Secondly — That  well-bred  horses  with  strong  feet  are  most  subject  to  the 
disease. 

Thirdly — That  the  lameness  is  usually  preceded  by  an  alteration  in  the 
structure  of  the  foot,  whereby  the  navicular-bone  is  somewhat  displaced,  and 
has  a  hard  unyielding  surface  to  rest  on  instead  of  an  elastic  cushion. 

Fourthly — That  this  contraction  may  be  either  apparent  or  obscure. 

Fifthly — That  in  feet  thus  contracted  the  lameness  itself  is  yet  produced 
by  a  sudden  bruise. 

Sixthly — That  contraction  is  not  a  direct  cause  of  lameness  itself,  although 
usually  considered  so  by  authors,  inasmuch  as  the  dissection  of  morbid  feet 
clearly  developes  the  disease  elsewhere  ;  but  that,  although  not  an  exciting 
cause,  it  is  yet  a  predisposing  agent. 

Seventhly — That  contraction  is  more  frequently  a  consequence  than  a 
cause  of  lameness,  being  produced  by  any  circumstance  that  induces  the 
horse  to  abstain  from  bearing  his  weight  upon  the  foot. 

Treatment. — In  endeavoring  to  cure  the  navicular  disease,  much,  indeed 
almost  everything,  will  depend  on  the  length  of  time  the  horse  has  been 
lame.  If  the  lameness  came  on  suddenly,  and  but  a  short  time  has  elapsed, 
we  may  then  set  about  our  treatment  with  a  reasonable  prospect  of  success ; 
but  if,  on  the  other  hand,  the  mischief  has  been  slowly  coming  on,  and  pre- 
ceded by  pointing  for  sonre  time,  we  may  then  afford  some  palliation,  but  a 
permanent  cure  we  are  seldom  able  to  accomplish.  In  seeking  a  remedy 
our  endeavors  should  be  directed,  first,  to  the  removal  of  the  inflammation 
in  the  joint ;  and,  secondly,  to  the  restoration  of  the  various  parts  of  the 
foot  to  their  natural  and  proper  position.  If  the  injury  has  been  suddenly 
produced  our  treatment  will  be  principally  confined  to  antiphlogistic 
measures. 

The  shoe  being  removed,  the  foot  must  be  pared  out  and  the  sole  thinned, 
more  particularly  that  part  opposite  the  navicular  joint ;  the  commissures 
should  also  be  well  cut  out  and  thinned.  This  being  done  the  foot  must  be 
bled  freely  from  the  toe ;  four  quarts  of  blood  may  be  taken,  and  the  foot 
ahould  then  be  placed  in  a  linseed-meal  poultice,  or  one  made  of  bran  ^nd 


SAND-CKACK.  317 

meal  Hie  poultice  should  be  wetted  several  times  and  changed  once  s 
day,  and  the  bleeding  may  be  repeated  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  if  re- 
quired. The  poultice  is  to  be  continued  for  eight  or  ten  days,  and  then, 
•wheii  tlie  utmost  benefit  has  been  derived  from  it  that  it  is  capable  of 
affording,  we  may  have  recourse  to  counter  irritation. 

The  importance  of  venesection  in  every  case  of  navicular  disease  must 
be  apparent  to  every  one,  for  there  can  be  no  case  requiring  treatment  but 
what  must  be  attended  with  some  degree  of  inflammation,  and  in  some 
cases  the  injury  may  be  confined  to  inflammation  alone.  Where  we  have 
reason  to  infer  that  such  is  the  case  we  may  indeed  confine  our  treatment  to 
the  bleeding  and  poulticing.  The  benefit  of  poultice  is  inferior  only  to 
blood  letting.  It  softens  the  horn,  changing  it  from  a  hard,  dry,  and  almost 
inelastic  substance,  to  a  soft,  yielding,  and  elastic  material.  The  degree  of 
paring  that  may  be  necessary  must  depend  upon  the  alteration  of  structure 
that  has  taken  place  in  the  foot. 

Having  pushed  our  antiphlogistic  (tending  to  reduce  inflammation)  treat- 
ment as  far  as  we  well  can,  we  may  next  seek  the  aid  of  counter-irritation. 
Shall  we  blister  the  coronet,  or  insert  a  frog  seton?  The  latter  is,  I  think, 
111  every  respect  preferable ;  we  create  artificial  inflammation  and  suppura- 
tion very  near  the  seat  of  the  disease,  and  we  may  keep  this  up  almost  aa 
long  as  we  please  ;  a  month,  however,  of  active  suppuration  is  generally  long 
enough.  The  only  objection  to  the  seton  is  that  the  horse  must  be  kept  in 
the  stable ;  he  cannot  be  turned  out,  or  into  a  soft,  moist  place  during  the 
time  it  remains  in  the  foot.  Before  the  seton  is  inserted,  a  shoe  sliould  be 
placed  on  the  foot,  nailed  on  the  outside  quarter  only,  which  will  much 
assist  the  expansion  of  the  foot.  By  the  judicious  employment  of  the  treat- 
ment we  have  recommended,  varied  or  modified  according  to  the  nature 
of  the  case,  we  may  in  many  instances  eftect  a  cure ;  but  a  love  of  truth 
obliges  us  to  cotifess,  that  in  a  majority  of  cases,  taking  them  as  they  come, 
no  treatment  will  succeed.  In  chronic  cases  of  navicular  disease,  in  which 
there  is  no  probability  of  effecting  a  cure,  and  but  little  of  relieving  the  ani- 
mal to  any  considerable  extent,  we  have  to  determine  whether  we  shall 
work  the  animal. lame  (if  he  is  able  to  work  at  all),  or  remove  sensation 
from  the  feet  by  the  operation  of  neurotomy.  It  is  a  matter  of  much  con- 
sequence that  when  a  horse  is  submitted  to  the  preceding  course  of  treat- 
ment, every  chance  should  be  given  it  by  allowing  a  long  rest,  viz.,  from 
two  to  four  months. 

SAND-CRACK. 

This,  as  its  name  imports,  is  a  C7'ack  or  division  of  the  hoof 
from  above  downward,  and  into  which  sand  and  dirt  are  too  apt 
to  insinuate  themselves.  It  is  so  called,  because  it  most  fre- 
quently occurs  in  sandy  districts,  the  heat  of  the  sand  applied  to 
the  feet  giving  them  a  disposition  to  crack.  It  occurs  ])oth  in 
the  fore  and  the  hind  feet.  In  the  fore  feet  it  is  usually  found 
in  the  inner  quarter  (see  g,  Fig.  41),  but  occasionally  in  the  outer 
quarter,  because  there  is  the  principal  stress  or  effort  towards 
expansion  in  the  foot,  and  the  inner  quarter  is  weaker  than  the 
outer.  In  the  hind  feet  the  crack  is  almost  invariably  found  in 
the  front,  because  in  the  digging  of  the  toe  into  the  ground  in  the 
act  of  drawing,  the  principal  stress  is  in  front. 

This  is  a  most  serious  defect.     It  indicates  a  brittleness  of  the 


318  SAND-CRACK. 

crust,  sometimes  natural,  but  ofteiier  the  consequeiwe  of  mis 
management  or  disease,  whicll,  in  spite  of  every  means  adopted^ 
will  probably  be  the  source  of  future  annoyance.  On  a  hoof 
that  has  once  been  thus  divided,  no  dependence  can  be  placed, 
unless,  by  great  care,  the  natural  suppleness  of  the  horn  has 
been  restored  and  is  retained. 

Sand-crack  may  happen  in  an  instant,  from  a  false  step  or 
over-exertion,  and  therefore  a  horse,  although  he  may  spring  a 
sand-crack  within  an  hour  after  the  purchase,  cannot  be  returned 
on  that  account. 

The  crack  sometimes  does  not  penetrate  through  the  horn.  It 
then  causes  no  lameness ;  nevertheless,  it  must  not  be  neglected. 
It  shows  that  there  is  brittleness,  which  should  induce  the  pur- 
chaser to  pause  :  and,  if  proper  means  are  not  taken,  it  will 
generally  soon  penetrate  to  the  quick.  It  should  be  pared  or 
rasped  lairly  out,  and  if  the  paring  or  rasping  has  been  deep 
the  foot  should  be  strengthened  by  a  coating  of  pitch,  with  coarse 
tape  bound  over  it,  and  a  second  coating  of  pitch  covering  this. 

If  tiie  crack  has  penetrated  through  the  crust,  and  lameness 
has  ensued,  the  case  is  more  serious.  It  must  be  carefully  ex- 
amined, in  order  to  ascertain  that  no  dirt  or  sand  has  got  into 
it ;  the  edges  must  be  more  considerably  thinned,  and  if  any 
fungus  (proud-flesh)  is  begimiing  to  protrude  through  the  crack, 
and  is  imprisoned  there,  it  must  be  destroyed  by  the  application 
of  the  butyr  (chloride)  of  antimony.  This  is  preferable  to  the 
cautery  (hot-iron)  because  the  edges  of  the  horn  will  not  be 
thickened  or  roughened,  and  thus  become  a  source  of  after-irri- 
tation. The  firing  iron  must  then  be  run  deeply  across,  above, 
and  below  the  crack  ;  a  pledget  of  dry  tow  being  placed  in  the 
crack,  in  and  over  it,  and  the  whole  bound  down  as  tightly  as 
possible.  On  the  third  day  the  part  should  be  examined,  and 
the  caustic  again  applied,  if  necessary  :  but  if  the  crack  is  dry, 
and  defended  by  a  hard  horny  crust,  the  sooner  the  pitch  plaster 
is  put  on  the  better. 

The  most  serious  case  is,  when,  from  tread  or  neglect,  the 
coronet  is  divided.  The  growth  of  horn  proceeds  from  the 
coronary  ligament,  and  unless  this  ligament  is  sound,  the  horn 
will  grow  down  disunited.  The  method  to  be  here  adopted,  is 
to  run  the  back  of  the  firing-iron  over  the  coronet  where  it  is 
divided.  Some  inflammation  will  ensue  ;  and  when  the  scab 
produced  by  the  cautery  peels  o^,  as  it  will  in  a  few  days, 
the  division  will  be  obliterated,  and  sound  and  united  horn 
will  grow  down.  When  there  is  sufficient  horn  above  the 
crack,  a  horizontal  line  should  be  drawn  with  a  firing-iron 
between  the  sound  horn  and  the  crack.  The  connexion  between 
the  sound  part  and  the   crack  will  thus  be  prevented,  and  the 


TREAD    AND    OVER-REACH.  31 9 

1.JW  horn  will  gradually  and  safely  descend,  but  the  horse  should 
not  be  used  until  sufficient  horn  has  grown  down  iairly  to  isolate 
the  crack.  When  the  horn  is  divided  at  the  coronet,  it  will  be 
five  or  six  months  before  it  will  grow  fairly  down,  and  not 
before  that,  should  the  animal  be  used  even  for  ordinary  work. 
When,  however,  the  horn  is  grown  an  inch  from  the  coronet, 
the  horse  may  be  turned  out — the  foot  being  well  defended  by 
the  pitch  plaster,  and  that  renewed  as  often  as  it  becomes  loose 
— a  bar-shoe  being  worn,  chambered  so  as  not  to  press  upon  the 
hoof  immediately  under  the  crack,  and  that  shoe  being  taken 
of!',  the  sole  pared  out,  and  any  bulbous  projection  of  new  horn 
being  removed  once  in  every  three  weeks. 

To  remedy  the  undue  brittleness  of  the  hoof,  there  is  no  better 
application  than  that  recommended  in  page  304,  the  sole  beii:ig 
covered  at  the  same  time  with  the  common  cow-dmrg,  or  felt 
stopping.  =^ 

TREAD    AIS'D    OVER-REACH. 

Under  these  terms  are  comprised  bruises  and  wounds  of  the 
coronet,  inflicted  by  the  other  feet. 

A  TREAD  is  said  to  have  taken  place,  when  the  inside  of  the 
coronet  of  one  hind  foot  is  struck  by  the  calkin  of  the  shoe  of 
the  other,  and  a  bruised  or  contused  wound  is  inflicted. 

A  tread,  or  wound  of  the  coronet,  must  never  be  neglected, 
lest  gravel  should  insinuate  itself  into  the  wound,  and  form  deep 
ulcerations,  called  sinuses  or  inpes,  and  whicli  constitute  quittor. 
Although  some  mildly  stimulating  caustic  may  be  occasionally 
required,  the  caustic,  too  frequently  used  by  farriers,  should  be 
carefully  avoided,  not  only  lest  quittor  should  be  formed,  but  lest 
the  coronary  ligament  should  be  so  injured  as  to  be  afterwards 
mcapable  of  secreting  perfect  horn.  When  properly  treated,  a 
tread  is  seldom  productive  of  much  injury.     If  the  dirt  is  well 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — When  lameness  attends  sand-crack,  it  is  owing 
to  the  crack  extending  from  the  horn  to  the  quick  above.  If  the  horse  is 
worked  on,  this  injury  is  repeated  again  and  again  until  the  coronary  sub- 
stance becomes  so  injured  as  to  produce  a  false  quarter.  When  a  horse 
throws  out  a  sand-crack  ho  must  be  rested  a  month  or  more  in  order  to 
effect  a  cure,  to  do  which  effectually  the  foot  should  be  poulticed  for  a 
w^eek  in  order  to  encourage  the  growth  of  horn,  and  the  coronet  for  the 
same  reason  may  be  stimulated.  In  the  course  of  a  month  the  sound  horn 
will  be  gi'own  down  for  the  space  of  a  quarter  of  an  inch,  and  then,  and 
not  till  then,  the  tiring-iron  should  be  drawn  transversely  above  the  crack, 
so  as  to  cut  off  the  communication  between  the  fissure  and  the  sound  horn 
above,  which  will  gradually  grow  down.  A  plaster  of  pitch  or  shoe- 
maker's wax  may  then  be  placed  on  the  crack,  and  a  strap  fastened  round 
the  loot,  80  as  to  prevent  too  much  motion  taking  place.  A  bar-shoe  is  indis- 
pensable, in  order  that  the  weak  quarter  may  be  secured  from  the  pressure. 


320  FALSE    QUARTER. 

washed  out  of  it,  and  a  pledget  of  tow,  dipped  in  Friar's  balsam 
bound  over  the  wound,  it  will  in  the  majority  of  cases,  speed 
dy  heal.  Should  the  bruise  be  extensive,  or  the  wound  deep,  a  poul- 
tice maybe  applied  for  one  or  two  days,  and  then  the  Friar's  bal- 
sam, or  digestive  ointment.  Sometimes  a  soft  tumour  will  form  on 
the  part,  which  will  be  quickly  brought  to  suppuration  by  a  poul- 
tice ;  and  when  the  matter  has  run  out,  the  ulcer  will  heal  by  the 
application  of  the  Friar's  balsam,  or  a  weak  solution  of  blue  vitrol. 

An  OVER-REACH  is  a  tread  upon  the  heel  of  the  coronet  of  the 
fore  foot  by  the  shoe  of  the  corresponding  hind  foot,  and  either 
inflicted  by  the  toe,  or  by  the  inner  edge  of  the  inside  of  the 
shoe.  The  preventive  treatment  is  the  bevelling,  or  rounding 
off,  of  the  inside  edge  or  rim  of  the  hind  shoes.  The  cure  is,  the 
cutting  away  of  the  loose  parts,  the  application  of  Friar's  bal- 
sam, and  protection  from  the  dirt. 

Some  horses,  particularly  young  ones,  overreach  so  as  to 
strike  the  toes  of  the  hind  shoes  against  the  fore  ones,  which  is 
termed  clinking.  Keeping  up  the  head  of  the  horse  does  some- 
thing to  prevent  tliis  ;  but  the  smith  may  do  more  by  shortening 
the  toe  of  the  hind  shoes,  and  having  the  web  broad.  When 
they  are  too  long,  they  are  apt  to  De  torn  off — when  too  narrow, 
the  hind  foot  may  bruise  the  sole  of  the  fore  one,  or  may  be 
locked  fast  between  the  branches  of  the  fore  shoe. 

FALSE    QUARTER. 

If  the  coronary  ligament,  by  which  the  horn  of  the  crust  is 
secreted,  is  divided  by  some  cut  or  bruise,  or  eaten  through  by 
any  caustic,  there  will  occasionally  be  a  division  in  the  horn  as 
it  grows  down,  either  in  the  form  of  a  permanent  sand-crack,  or 
one  portion  of  the  horn  overlapping  the  other.  It  occasionally 
follows  neglected  sand-crack,  or  it  may  be  the  consequence  of 
quitter.  This  is  exteriorly  an  evident  fissure  in  the  horn,  and 
extending  from  the  coronet  to  the  sole,  but  not  always  pene- 
trating to  the  laminae.  It  is  a  very  serious  defect,  and  exceed- 
ingly difficult  to  remedy  ;  for  occasionally,  if  the  horse  is  over 
weighted  or  hurried  on  his  journey,  the  fissure  will  open  and 
bleed,  and  very  serious  inconvenience  and  lameness  may  ensue. 
Grit  and  dirt  may  insinuate  itself  into  the  aperture,  and  pene- 
trate to  the  sensible  laminse.  Inflammation  will  almost  of  ne- 
cessity be  produced  ;  and  much  mischief  will  be  effected.  While 
the  energies  of  the  animal  are  not  severely  taxed,  he  may  not  ex- 
perience much  inconvenience  or  pain  ;  but  the  slightest  exertion 
will  cause  the  fissure  to  expand,  and  painful  lameness  to  follow 
The  coronary  ligament  must  be  restored  to  its  perfect  statC; 
or  at  least  to  the  discharge  of  its  perfect  function.    Much  dange' 


QUITTOR.  321 

would  attend  the  application  of  the  caustic  in  order  to  eficct 
this.  A  blister  is  rarely  sufficiently  active  :  but  the  application, 
not  too  severely,  of  a  heated  flat  or  rounded  iron  to  the  coronet 
at  the  injured  part  aflbrds  the  best  chance  of  success — the  edges 
of  the  horn  on  either  side  of  the  crack  being  thinned,  the  hoof 
supported,  and  the  separated  parts  held  together  by  a  firm 
encasement  of  pitch,  as  described  vi^hen  speaking  of  the  treat- 
ment of  sand-crack.  The  coronet  must  be  examined  at  least 
once  in  every  fortnight,  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  the  desired 
union  has  taken  place  ;  and,  as  a  palliative  during  the  treatment 
of  the  case,  or  if  the  treatment  should  be  unsuccessful,  a  bar- 
shoe  may  be  used,  and  care  taken  that  there  be  no  bearhig  at 
or  immediately  under  the  separation  of  the  horn.  This  will  be 
best  effected,  v/hen  the  crust  is  thick  and  the  quarters  strong, 
by  paring  off  a  little  of  the  bottom  of  the  crust  at  the  part,  so 
that  it  will  not  touch  the  shoe  ;  but  if  the  foot  is  weak,  an  in- 
dentation or  hollow  should  be  made  in  the  shoe.  Strain  or  con- 
cussion on  the  immediate  part  will  thus  be  avoided,  and,  in 
sudden  or  violent  exertion,  the  crack  will  not  be  so  likely  to 
extend  upward  to  the  coronet,  when  whole  and  sound  hern  has 
beo-un  to  be  formed  there. 


QUITTOR. 

This  has  been  described  as  being  the  result  of  neglected  or  bad 
tread  or  over-reach  ;  but  it  may  be  the  consequence  of  any  wound 
in  the  foot,  and  in  any  part  of  the  foot.  In  the  natural  process 
Df  ulceration,  matter  is  thrown  out  from  the  wound.  It  precedes 
the  actual  healing  of  the  part.  The  matter  which  is  secreted  in 
wounds  of  the  foot  is  usually  pent  up  there,  and,  increasing  in 
quantity,  and  urging  its  way  in  every  direction,  it  forces  the  littlt* 
fleshy  plates  of  the  coffin-bone,  from  the  horny  ones  of  the  crust 
or  the  horny  sole  from  the  fleshy  sole,  or  even  eats  deeply, into  the 
mternal  parts  of  the  foot.  These  pipes  or  sinuses  run  in  every 
direction,  and  constitute  the  essence  of  quittor. 

If  it  arises  from  a  wound  in  the  bottom  of  the  foot,  the  aper 
ture  may  speedily  close  up,  and  the  matter  which  continues  to  be 
secreted  is  confined  within,  separating  the  horny  from  the  fleshy 
lole,  until  it  forces  its  way  upward  and  appears  at  the  coronet 
(usually  at  the  quarter)  and  there  slowly  oozes  out.  The  open- 
ing and  the  quantity  of  matter  discharged  are  so  small,  that  al- 
though over  a  great  part  of  the  quarter  and  sole  the  horn  may 
have  separated  from  the  coffin-bone,  and  the  matter  may  have 
penetrated  even  under  the  cartilages  and  ligaments,  and  into  the 
:;offiH-joint,  but  little  mischief  would  be  suspected  by  an  unexpe- 
21  n 


322  QUITTOR. 

rienced  person.  The  pressure  of  the  matter  wherever  it  has  gone 
has  formed  ulcerations  that  are  indisposed  to  heal,  and  that  re- 
quire the  application  of  strong  and  painful  stimulants  to  induce 
them  to  heal ;  and,  worse  than  this,  the  horn,  once  separated  Irom 
the  sensible  parts  beneath,  will  never  again  unite  with  them, 
duittor  may  occur  in  both  the  fore  and  the  hind  feet. 

It  may  be  necessary  to  remove  much  of  the  horny  sole,  which 
will  be  speedily  reproduced  when  the  fleshy  surface  beneath  can 
be  brought  to  a  healthy  condition  ;  but  if  much  of  the  horn  at 
the  quarters  must  be  taken  away,  five  or  six  months  may  proba- 
bly elapse  before  it  will  be  sufficiently  grown  down  agani  to  ren- 
der the  horse  useful. 

Measures  of  considerable  severity  are  indispensable.  The  ap- 
plication of  some  caustic  will  alone  produce  a  healthy  action  on 
the  ulcerated  surfaces  ;  but  on  the  ground  of  interest  and  of  hu- 
manity, we  protest  against  that  brutal  practice,  or  at  least  the 
extent  to  which  it  is  carried,  and  is  pursued  by  many  ignorant 
smiths,  of  coring  out,  or  deeply  destroying  the  healthy  as  well  as 
the  diseased  parts — and  parts  which  no  process  will  again  restore. 
When  any  portion  of  the  bone  can  be  felt  by  the  probe,  the 
chances  of  success  are  diminished,  and  the  owner  and  the  opera- 
tor should  pause.  When  the  joints  are  exposed,  the  case  is  hope- 
less, although,  in  a  great  many  instances,  the  bones  and  the  joints 
are  exposed  by  the  remedy  and  not  by  the  disease.  One  hint 
may  not  be  necessary  to  the  practitioner,  but  it  may  guide  the 
determination  and  hopes  of  the  owner  ;  if,  when  a  probe  is  intro 
duced  into  the  fistulous  on  the  coronet,  the  direction  of  the  sinu- 
ses or  'pii:)es  is  backward,  there  is  much  probability  that  a  perfect 
cure  may  be  effected ;  but  if  the  direction  of  the  sinuses  is  for- 
ward, the  cure  is  at  best  doubtful.  In  the  first  instance,  there  is 
neither  bone  nor  joint  to  be  injured  ;  in  the  other,  the  more  im- 
portant parts  of  the  foot  are  in  danger,  and  the  principal  action 
and  concussion  are  found. 

Neglected  bruises  of  the  sole  sometimes  lay  the  foundation  for 
quittor.  When  the  foot  is  flat,  it  is  very  liable  to  be  bruised  if 
the  horse  is  ridden  fast  over  a  rough  and  stony  road ;  or,  a  small 
stone,  insinuating  itself  between  the  shoe  and  the  sole,  or  con- 
hned  by  the  curvature  of  the  shoe,  will  frequently  lame  the  horse. 
The  heat  and  tenderness  of  the  part,  the  occasional  redness  of  the 
horn,  and  the  absence  of  puncture,  will  clearly  mark  the  bruise. 
The  sole  must  then  be  thinned,  and  particularly  over  the  bruised 
part,  and,  in  neglected  cases,  it  must  be  pared  even  to  the  quick, 
in  order  to  ascertain  whether  the  inflammation  has  run  on  to 
suppuration.  Bleeding  at  the  toe  will  be  clearly  indicated  ;  and 
poultices,  and  such  other  means  as  have  either  been  described 
under  "  Inflammation  of  the  Feet,"  or  will  be  pointed  out  undej 


QUITTOR.  323 

the  next  head.  The  principal  causes  of  bruises  ot  the  foot  are 
leaving  the  sole  too  much  exposed  by  means  of  a  narrow- webbed 
shoe,  or  the  smith  paring  out  tlie  sole  too  closely,  or  the  pressure 
of  the  shoe  on  the  sole,  or  the  introduction  of  gravel  or  stones 
between  the  shoe  and  the  sole. 

Th  author  subjoins  the  mode  of  cure  in  this  disease,  as  it  has 
been  practised  by  two  veterinary  surgeons.  They  are  both  ex- 
cellent, and,  so  far  as  can  well  be  the  case,  satisfactory. 

Mr.  Percival  says: — "  The  ordinary  mode  of  cure  consists  in 
the  introduction  of  caustic  into  the  sinus  ;  and  so  long  as  the  car- 
tilage preserves  its  integrity — by  which  I  mean,  is  free  from  de 
cay — this  is  perhaps  the  most  prompt  and  eflectual  mode  of  pro- 
ceeding. The  farrier's  practice  is  to  mix  about  half  a  drachm  of 
corrosive  sublimate  in  powder  with  twice  or  thrice  the  quantity 
of  Hour,  and  make  them  into  a  paste  with  water.  This  he  takes 
up  by  little  at  a  time  with  the  point  of  his  probe,  and  works  it 
about  into  the  sinus  until  the  paste  appears  rising  in  the  orifice 
above.  After  this  is  done,  he  commonly  has  the  horse  walked 
about  for  an  hour  or  two,  or  even  sent  to  slow  work  again,  which 
produces  a  still  more  effectual  solution  of  the  caustic,  at  the  same 
time  that  it  tends  greatly  to  its  uniform  and  thorough  diffusion 
into  every  recess  and  winding  of  the  sinus.  The  consequence  of 
this  sharp  caustic  dressing  is  a  general  slough  from  the  sinus. 
Ever}'  part  of  its  interior  surface  is  destroyed,  and  the  dead  par- 
ticle?  become  agglutinated,  and  cast  off  along  with  the  discharges 
in  the  form  of  a  dark,  firm  curdled  mass,  which  the  farrier  calls 
the  core  ;  and  so  it  commonly  proves,  for  granulations  follow  close 
behind  it,  and  fill  up  the  sinus." 

The  other  mode  of  treatment  is  that  of  Mr.  Newport,  a  surgeon 
of  long  standing  : — "  After  the  shoe  has  been  removed,  thin  the 
sole  until  it  will  yield  to  the  pressure  of  the  thumb  ;  then  cut  the 
under  parts  of  the  wall  in  an  oblique  direction  from  the  heel  to 
the  anterior  part,  immediately  under  the  seat  of  complaint,  and 
only  as  far  as  it  extends,  and  rasp  the  side  of  the  wall  thin  enough 
to  give  way  to  the  pressure  of  the  over-distended  parts,  and  put 
on  a  bar-shoe  rather  elevated  from  the  frog.  Ascertain  with 
a  probe  the  direction  of  the  sinuses,  and  introduce  into  them 
a  satMratecl  solution  of  sulijliate  of  zinc,  by  means  of  a  small 
syringe.  Place  over  this  dressing  the  common  poultice,  or  the 
turpentine  ointment,  and  renew  the  application  every  twenty-four 
hours.  I  have  frequently  found  three  or  four  such  applications 
complete  a  cure.  I  should  recommend  that  when  the  probe  is 
introduced,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  progress  of  cure,  that  it  be 
gently  and  carefully  used,  otherwise  it  may  break  down  the  new- 
formed  lymph.     I  have  found  the  solution  very  raluable,  where 


324  WOUNDS    OF    THE    CRUST    AND    SOLE. 

the  synovial  fluid  (joint-oil)  has  escaped,  but  not  to  he  if  the  in- 
flammation of  the  parts  is  great."  =^ 

PRICK  OE,  WOUND  IN  THE  SOLE  OR  CRUST. 

This  is  the  most  frequent  cause  of  quittor.  It  is  evident  that 
the  sole  is  very  liable  to  be  wounded  by  nails,  pieces  of  glass,  or 
even  sharp  flints.  Every  part  of  the  foot  is  subject  to  injuries  of 
this  description.  The  usual  place  at  which  these  wounds  are 
found,  is  in  the  hollow  between  the  bars  and  the  frog,  or  in  the 
i'rog  itself.  In  the  fore-feet  the  injury  will  be  generally  recognized 
on  the  inner  quarter,  and  on  the  hind-feet  near  the  toe.  In  fact, 
these  are  the  thinnest  parts  of  the  fore  and  hind-feet.  Much  more 
frequently  the  laminae  are  wounded  by  the  nail  in  shoeing  ;  or  if 
the  nail  does  not  penetrate  through  the  internal  surface  of  the 
crust,  it  is  driven  so  close  to  it  that  it  presses  upon  the  fleshy  parts 
beneath,  and  causes  irritation  and  inflammation,  and  at  length 
ulceration.  When  a  horse  becomes  suddenly  lame,  after  the  legs 
have  been  carefully  examined,  and  no  cause  of  lameness  appears 
in  them,  the  shoe  should  be  taken  off".  In  many  cases  the  oftend- 
mg  substance  will  be  immediately  detected,  or  the  additional  heat 
felt  in  some  part  of  the  foot  will  point  out  the  seat  of  injury ;  or, 
if  the  crust  is  rapped  with  the  hammer  all  round,  the  flinching  of 
the  horse  will  discover  it ;  or  pressure  with  the  pincers  will  ren- 
der it  evident. 

When  the  shoe  is  removed  for  this  examination,  the  smith 
should  never  be  permitted  to  wrench  it  off',  but  each  nail  should 
be  drawn  separately,  and  examined  as  it  is  draAvn,  when  some 
moisture  appearing  upon  it  will  not  unfrequently  reveal  the  spot 
at  which  matter  has  been  thrown  out. 

Sudden  lameness  occurring  within  two  or  three  days  after  the 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — This  disease  is  much  less  common  than  it  used 
to  be,  in  consequence  of  the  improvement  in  shoeing  and  the  discontinuance 
of  calkin  (calks).  It  is  generally  caused  by  a  tread  or  an  external  bruise,  the 
injury  inflicted  being  deep-seated.  It  is  also  often  produced  by  a  festered 
corn,  the  matter  from  which  having  no  depending  opening,  spreads  upwards 
between  the  horn  and  the  bone,  and  forms  sinuses  about  the  coronet  in  differ- 
ent directions,  and  under  and  within  the  cartilages  of  the  foot.  With  regard 
to  the  cure,  the  first  thing  is  to  poultice  well,  after  which  an  injection  of  the 
solution  of  sulphate  of  zinc  will  often  effect  a  cure.  In  other  cases  it  is  neces- 
sary to  lay  open  the  sinuses  or  insert  setons,  bringing  them  out  in  some  de- 
pending position.  We  have  successfully  inserted  setons  at  the  coronet,  bring 
ing  them  out  severally  at  the  heels  and  the  bars  of  the  foot.  When  the  car- 
tilage is  in  a  state  of  caries,  it  is  desirable  to  produce  a  slough  by  means  of 
corrosive  sublimate.  By  the  adoption  of  these  remedial  measures,  a  cure  cao 
generally  be  effected ;  for  our  own  part,  we  have  scarcely  ever  yet  met  with 
a  case  of  quittor  which  we  have  been  unable  to  cure,  th--  ugh  sometimes  the 
treatment  has  been  very  protracted  and  troublesome. 


VVOUNDii    OF    THE    CUUST    AND    SOLE.  325 

horse  has  been  shod,  will  lead  to  the  suspicion  that  the  smith  has 
been  in  fault ;  yet  no  one  who  considers  the  thinness  of  the  crust, 
and  the  difficulty  of  shoeing  many  feet,  will  blame  him  for  some- 
times pricking  the  animal.  His  fault  will  consist  in  concealing 
or  denying  that  of  which  he  will  almost  always  be  aware  at  the 
time  of  shoeing,  from  the  flinching  of  the  horse,  or  the  dead  sound, 
or  the  peculiar  resistance  that  may  be  noticed  in  the  driving  of 
the  nail. 

When  the  seat  of  mischief  is  ascertained,  the  sole  should  be 
thinned  round  it,  and  at  the  nail -hole,  or  the  puncture,  it  should 
be  pared  to  the  quick.  The  escape  of  some  matter  will  now 
probably  tell  the  nature  of  the  injury,  and  remove  its  consequen- 
ces. If  it  be  puncture  of  the  sole  effected  by  some  nail,  or  any 
similar  body,  picked  up  on  the  road,  all  that  will  be  necessary  is 
a  little  to  enlarge  the  opening,  and  then  to  place  on  it  a  fledget 
of  tow  dipped  in  Friar's  balsam,  and  over  that  a  little  common 
stopping.  If  there  is  much  heat  and  lameness,  a  poultice  should 
be  applied. 

A  puncture  near  the  centre  of  the  sole  is  most  dangerous,  from 
its  liability  to  wound  the  flexor  tendon  where  it  is  inserted  in  the 
coffin-bone,  from  which  much  action  is  required  ;  or  it  may  e  vren 
penetrate  the  joint  between  the  navicular  and  coffin-bone. 

If  pricked  by  a  nail,  the  treatment  above  described  will  usually 
soon  effect  a  cure.  It  may,  however,  be  prudent  to  keep  the  loot 
stopped  for  a  few  days.  If  the  accident  has  been  neglected,  and 
matter  begins  to  be  formed,  and  to  be  pent  up,  and  to  press  on  the 
neighboring  parts,  and  the  horse  evidently  suffers  extreme  pain, 
and  is  sometimes  scarcely  able  to  put  his  foot  to  the  ground,  and 
much  matter  is  poured  out  when  the  opening  is  enlarged,  further 
precautions  must  be  adopted.  The  fact  must  be  recollected  that 
the  living  and  dead  horn  will  never  unite,  and  every  portion  of 
the  horny  sole  that  has  separated  from  the  fleshy  sole  above  must 
be  removed.  The  separation  onust  be  folloived  as  far  as  it 
reaches.  Much  of  the  success  of  the  treatment  depends  on  this. 
No  small  strip  or  edge  of  separated  horn  must  be  suffered  to  press 
upon  any  part  of  the  wound.  The  exposed  fleshy  sole  must  then 
be  touched,  but  not  too  severely,  with  the  butyr  (chloride)  of  an- 
timony, some  soft  and  dry  tow  being  spread  on  the  part,  the  foot 
stopped,  and  a  poultice  placed  over  all  if  the  foot  seems  to  require 
it.  On  the  following  day  a  thin  pellicle  of  horn  will  frequently 
be  founc'  over  a  part  or  the  whole  of  the  wound.  This  should  be, 
yet  very  lightly,  again  touched  with  the  caustic ;  but  if  there  is 
an  appearance  of  fungus  sprouting  from  the  exposed  surface,  the 
application  of  the  butyr  must  be  more  severe,  the  tow  being  again 
placed  over  it,  so  as  to  afford  considerable  yet  uniform  pressure. 
Many  days  do  not  often  elapse  before  the  new  horn  covers  the 


64b  CORNS. 

whole  of  the  wound.  In  these  exten-sive  openings  the  Friar's 
balsam  will  not  always  be  successful,  but  the  cure  must  be  effect- 
ed by  the  judicious  and  never-too-severe  use  of  the  caustic.  Bleed- 
ing at  the  toe,  and  physic,  will  be  resorted  to  as  useful  auxiliaries 
when  much  inflammation  arises. 

CORNS. 

In  the  angle  between  the  bars  {c,  Fig.  47)  and  the  quarters, 
the  horn  of  the  sole  has  sometimes  a  red  appearance,  and  is  more 
spongy  and  softer  than  at  any  other  part.  The  horse  flinches 
when  this  portion  of  the  horn  is  pressed  upon,  and  occasional  or 
permanent  lameness  is  produced.  This  disease  of  the  foot  is 
termed  corns  :  bearing  this  resemblance  to  the  corn  of  the  human 
being,  that  it  is  produced  by  pressure,  and  is  a  cause  of  lameness. 
When  corns  are  neglected,  so  much  inflammation  is  produced  in 
that  part  of  the  sensible  sole,  that  suppuration  follows,  and  to 
that,  quittor  succeeds,  and  the  matter  either  undermines  the  homy 
sole,  or  is  discharged  at  the  coronet. 

The  pressure  hereby  produced  manifests  itself  in  various  ways. 
When  the  foot  becomes  contracted,  the  part  of  the  sole  inclosed 
between  the  external  crust  that  is  wiring  in,  and  the  bars  that 
are  opposing  that  contraction  (see  Fig.  47),  is  placed  in  a  kind 
of  vice,  and  becomes  inflamed ;  hence  it  is  rare  to  see  a  con- 
tracted foot  without  corns.  When  the  shoe  is  suffered  to  remain 
on  too  long,  it  becomes  embedded  in  the  heel  of  the  foot  :  the  ex- 
ternal crust  grows  down  on  the  outside  of  it,  and  the  bearing  is 
thrown  on  this  angular  portion  of  the  sole.  No  part  of  the 
sole  can  bear  continued  pressure,  and  inflammation  and  corns 
are  the  result.  From  the  length  of  wear,  the  shoe  sometimes  be- 
comes loosened  at  the  heels,  and  gravel  insinuates  itself  between 
the  shoe  and  the  crust,  and  accumulates  in  this  angle,  and  some- 
limes  seriously  wounds  it. 

The  bars  are  too  frequently  cut  away,  and  then  the  heel  of  the 
shoe  must  be  bevelled  inward,  in  order  to  answer  to  this  absurd 
and  injurious  shaping  of  the  foot.  By  this  slanting  direction  of 
the  heel  of  the  shoe  inward,  an  unnatural  disposition  to  contrac- 
tion is  given,  and  the  sole  must  suffer  in  two  ways, — in  being 
pressed  upon  by  the  shoe,  and  squeezed  betw^een  the  outer  crust 
and  the  external  portion  of  the  bar.  The  shoe  is  often  made  un- 
necessarily narrow  at  the  heels,  by  which  this  angle,  seemingly 
less  disposed  to  bear  pressure  than  any  other  part  of  the  foot,  is 
exposed  to  accidental  bruises.  If,  in  the  paring  out  of  the  foot, 
the  smith  should  leave  the  bars  prominent,  he  too  frequently  neg- 
lects to  pare  away  the  horn  in  the  angle  between  the  bars  and 
the  external  crust ;  or  if  he  cuts  away  the  bars,  he  scarcely 


CORNS.  327 

touches  the  horn  at  this  point ;  and  thus,  before  the  horse  has 
been  shod  a  fortnijrht,  the  shoe  rests  on  this  angle,  and  produces 
corns.  The  use  of  a  shoe  for  the  fore  feet,  thickened  at  the  heels, 
IS,  and  especially  in  weak  feet,  a  source  of  corns,  from  the  undue 
bearing  there  is  on  the  heels,  and  the  concussion  to  which  they 
are  subject. 

Corns  are  most  frequent  and  serious  m  horses  with  thin  horn 
and  fiat  soles,  and  low  weak  heels.  They  do  not  often  occur  in 
the  outside  heel.  It  is  of  a  stronger  construction  than  the  inside 
one.  The  method  adopted  by  shoeing-smiths  to  ascertain  the 
existence  of  corn  by  the  pain  evinced  when  they  pinch  the  bar 
and  crust  with  their  irons,  is  very  fallacious.  If  the  horn  is 
naturally  thin,  the  horse  will  shrink  under  no  great  pressure  al- 
though he  has  no  corn,  and  occasionally  the  bars  are  so  strong  as 
not  to  give  way  under  any  pressure. 

The  cure  of  old  corns  is  difficult ;  for  as  all  shoeing  has  some 
tendency  to  produce  pressure  here,  the  habit  of  throwing  out  this 
diseased  horn  is  difficult  to  get  rid  of  when  once  contracted ;  re- 
cent corns,  however,  will  yield  to  good  shoeing. 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  is  well  to  pare  out  the  angle  between 
the  crust  and  the  bars.  Two  objects  are  answered  by  this  :  the 
extent  of  the  disease  will  be  ascertained,  and  one  cause  of  it  re- 
moved. A  very  small  drawing-knife  must  be  used  for  this  pur- 
pose. The  corn  must  be  pired  out  to  the  very  bottom,  taking 
care  not  to  wound  the  sole.  It  may  then  be  discovered  whether 
there  is  any  effusion  of  blood  or  matter  underneath.  If  this  is 
suspected,  an  opening  must  be  made  through  the  horn,  the  mat- 
ter evacuated,  the  separated  horn  taken  away,  the  course  and 
extent  of  the  sinuses  explored,  and  the  treatment  recommended 
for  quittor  adopted.  Should  there  be  no  collection  of  fluid,  the 
butyr  of  antimony  should  be  applied  over  the  whole  extent  of  the 
corn,  after  the  horn  has  been  thinned  as  closely  as  possible.  The 
object  of  this  is  to  stimulate  the  sole  to  throw  out  more  healthy 
horn.  In  bad  cases  a  bar-shoe  may  be  put  on,  so  chambered, 
that  there  shall  be  no  pressure  on  the  diseased  part.  This  may 
be  worn  for  one  or  two  shoeings,  but  not  constantly,  for  there 
are  few  frogs  that  would  bear  the  constant  pressure  of  the  bar- 
shoe  ;  and  the  want  of  pressure  on  the  heel,  generally  occasioned 
by  their  use,  would  produce  a  softened  and  bulbous  state  of  the 
heels,  that  would  of  itself  be  an  inevitable  source  of  lameness. 

The  cause  of  corn  is  a  most  important  subject  of  inquiry,  and 
which  a  careful  examination  of  the  foot  and  the  shoe  will  easily 
discover.  The  cause  being  ascertained,  the  effect  may,  to  a  great 
extent,  be  afterwards  removed.  Turning  out  to  grass,  after  the 
horn  is  a  little  grown,  first  with  a  bar-shoe,  and  afterwards  with 
the  shoe  fettered  on  one  side,  or  vith  tips,  will  often  be  service- 


328  THRUSH 

able.  A  horse  that  has  once  had  corns  to  any  considerable  ex- 
tent should,  at  every  shoeing,  have  the  seat  of  corn  well  pared 
out,  and  the  butyr  of  antimony  applied.  The  seated  shoe  (here- 
after to  be  descriDed)  should  be  used,  with  a  web  sufficiently 
thick  to  cover  the  place  of  corn,  and  extending  as  far  back  as  it 
can  be  made  to  do  without  injury  to  the  Irog. 

Low  weak  heeis  shoald  be  rarely  touched  with  the  knife,  or 
anything  more  be  done  to  them  than  lightly  to  rasp  them,  in 
order  to  give  them  a  level  surface.  Where  corns  exist  of  any 
consequence,  they  are  a  disgrace  to  the  smith,  the  groom,  and  to 
the  owner. 

THRUSH. 

This  is  a  discharge  of  offensive  matter  from  the  cleft  of  the 
frog.  It  is  inflammation  of  the  lower  surface  of  the  sensible  frog, 
and  during  which  pus  is  secreted  together  with,  or  instead  of 
horn.  When  the  trog  is  in  its  sound  state,  the  cleft  sinks  but  a 
little  way  into  it ;  but  when  it  becomes  contracted  or  otherwise 
diseased,  it  extends  m  length,  and  penetrates  even  to  the  sensible 
horn  within,  and  through  this  unnaturally  deepened  fissure  the 
thrushy  discharge  proceeds.  A  very  full  and  fleshy  state  of  the 
body  may  be  a  predisposing  cause  of  thrush,  but  the  immediate 
and  grand  cause  is  moisture.  This  should  never  be  forgotten,  for 
it  will  lead  a  great  way  towards  the  proper  treatment  of  the  dis- 
ease. If  the  feet  are  habitually  covered  with  any  moist  applica- 
tion— ^his  standing  so  much  on  his  own  dung  is  a  fair  example — 
thrush  will  inevitably  appear.  It  is  caused  by  anything  that  in- 
terferes with  the  healthy  structure  and  action  of  the  frog.  We 
find  it  in  the  hinder  feet  oftener  and  worse  than  in  the  fore,  be- 
cause in  our  stable  management  the  hinder  feet  are  too  much 
exposed  to  the  pernicious  eiiects  of  the  dung  and  the  urine,  moist- 
ening, or  as  it  were  macerating,  and  at  the  same  time  irritating 
them. 

In  the  fore-feet,  thrushes  are  usually  connected  with  contrac- 
tion. We  have  stated  that  they  are  both  the  cause  and  the 
effect  of  contraction.  The  pressure  on  the  frog  from  the  wiring 
in  of  the  heels  will  produce  pain  and  inflammation  ;  and  the 
inflammation,  by  the  increased  heat  and  suspended  function  of 
the  part,  will  dispose  to  contraction.  Horses  of  all  ages,  and  in 
almost  all  situations,  are  subject  to  thrush.  The  unshod  colt  is 
frequently  thus  diseased. 

Thrushes  are  net  always  accompanied  by  lameness.    In  a  great 
"many  cases  the  appearance  of  the  foot  is  scarcely,  or  not  at  all 
altered,  and  the  disease  can  only  be  detected  by  close  examina- 
tion, or  the  peculiar  smell  of  the  discharge.     The  frog  may  not 


THRUSH.  329 

appear  to  be  rendered  in  the  slightest  degree  tender  by  it,  and 
therefore  the  horse  may  not  be  considered  by  many  as  un^'^uiid. 
Every  disease,  however,  should  be  considered  as  legal  unsound- 
ness, and  especially  a  disease  which,  although  not  attended  with 
present  detriment,  must  not  be  neglected,  for  it  will  eventually 
injure  and  lame  the  horse. 

Tlie  progress  of  a  neglected  thrush,  although  sometimes  slow, 
is  sure.  The  frog  begins  to  contract  in  size — it  becomes  rough, 
ragged,  brittle,  tender — the  discharge  is  more  copious  and  more 
offensive — the  horn  gradually  disappears — a  mass  of  hardened 
mucus  usurps  its  place — this  easily  peels  off,  and  the  sensible  frog 
remains  exposed — the  horse  cannot  bear  it  to  be  touched — fun- 
gous granulations  spring  from  it — they  spread  around — the  sole- 
becomes  under-run,  and  canker  steals  over  the  greater  part  of 
the  foot. 

If  a  young  colt,  fat  and  full  of  blood,  has  a  bad  thrush,  with 
much  discharge,  it  will  be  prudent  to  accompany  the  attempt  at 
cure  by  a  dose  of  physic  or  a  course  of  diuretics.  A  few  diuretics 
may  not  be  injurious  when  we  are  endeavoring  to  dry  up  thrush 
in  older  horses. 

There  are  many  recipes  to  stop  a  running  thrush.  Almost 
every  application  of  an  astringent,  but  not  of  too  caustic  nature, 
will  have  the  effect.  The  common  ^Egyptiacum  (vinegar  boiled 
with  honey  and  verdigris)  is  a  good  liniment ;  but  the  most 
effectual  and  the  safest — drying  up  the  discharge  speediJy,  but 
not  suddenly — is  a  paste  composed  of  blue  vitriol,  tar,  and 
lard,  in  proportions  according  to  the  virulence  of  the  canker.  A 
pledget  of  tow,  covered  with  it,  should  be  introduced  as  deeply 
as  possible,  yet  without  force,  into  the  cleft  of  the  frog  every 
night,  and  removed  in  the  morning  before  the  horse  goes  to  work. 
Attention  should  at  the  sam.e  time,  as  in  other  diseases  of  the 
foot,  be  paid  to  the  apparent  cause  of  the  complaint,  and  that 
3ause  should  be  carefully  obviated  or  removed.  Before  ths 
application  of  the  paste,  the  frog  should  be  examined,  and  every 
loose  part  of  the  horn  or  hardened  discharge  removed  ;  and  if 
much  of  the  frog  is  then  exposed,  a  larger  and  wider  piece  of  tow, 
covered  with  the  paste,  may  be  placed  over  it,  in  addition  to  the 
pledget  introduced  into  the  cleft  of  the  frog.  It  will  be  neces- 
sary to  preserve  the  frog  moist  while  the  cure  is  in  progress,  and 
this  may  be  done  by  filling  the  feet  with  tow,  covered  by  com- 
mon stopping,  or  using  the  felt  pad,  likewise  covered  with  it. 
Turning  out,  would  be  prejudicial  rather  than  of  benefit  to 
thrushy  feet,  except  the  dressing  is  continued,  and  the  feet  do- 
fended  from  moisture. 


330  CANKER. 


JAN-KER 


Is  a  separation  of  the  horn  from  the  sensible  part  of  the  foot,  and 
the  sprouting  of  the  fungous  matter  (proud-flesh)  instead  of  it,  oc- 
cupying a  portion  or  even  the  whole  of  the  sole  and  frog.  It  is 
the  occasional  consequence  of  bruise,  puncture,  corn,  quittor,  and 
thrush,  and  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  cure.  It  is  more  fre- 
quently the  consequence  of  neglected  thrush  than  of  any  other 
disease  of  the  foot,  or  rather  it  is  thrush  involving  the  frog,  the 
bars,  and  the  sole,  and  making  the  foot  in  one  mass  of  rank 
putrefaction. 

It  is  often  found  in,  and  is  almost  peculiar  to,  the  heavy  breed  of 
cart-horses,  and  partly  resulting  from  constitutional  predisposition. 
Horses  with  white  legs  and  thick  skins,  and  much  hair  upon 
their  legs — the  very  character  of  many  dray-horses — are  subject 
to  canker,  especially  if  they  have  an  attack  of  grease,  or  their 
heels  are  habitually  thick  and  greasy.  The  disposition  to  canker 
is  certainly  hereditary. 

Altliough  canker  is  a  disease  most  difficult  to  remove,  it  is 
easily  prevented.  Attention  to  the  punctures  to  which  these 
heavy  horses,  with  their  clubbed  feet  and  brittle  hoofs,  are  more 
than  any  others  subject  in  shoeing,  and  to  the  bruises  and 
treads  on  the  coronet,  to  which,  from  their  awkwardness  and 
weight,  they  are  so  liable,  and  the  greasy  heels  which  a  very 
slight  degree  of  negligence  will  produce  in  them,  and  the  stopping 
of  the  thrushes,  which  are  so  apt  in  them  to  run  on  to  the  sepa- 
ration of  the  horn  from  the  sensible  frog,  will  most  materially 
lessen  the  number  of  cankered  feet. 

The  cure  of  canker  is  the  business  of  the  veterinary  surgeon, 
and  a  most  painful  and  tedious  business  it  is.  The  principles 
on  which  he  proceeds  are,  first  of  all,  to  remove  the  extraneous 
fungous  growth  ;  and  for  this  purpose  he  will  need  the  aid  of 
the  knife  and  the  caustic,  or  the  cautery,  for  he  should  cut 
away  every  portion  of  horn  which  is  in  the  slightest  degree  sep- 
arated from  the  sensible  parts  beneath.  He  will  have  to  dis- 
courage the  growth  of  fresh  fungus,  and  to  bring  the  foot  into 
that  state  in  which  it  will  again  secrete  healthy  horn.  A 
slight  and  daily  application  of  the  chloride  of  antimony,  and 
that  not  where  the  new  horn  is  forming,  but  on  the  surface 
which  continues  to  be  diseased,  and  accompanied  by  as  firm  but 
equal  pressure  as  can  be  made — the  careful  avoidance  of  the 
slightest  degree  of  moisture — the  horse  being  exercised  or  worked 
in  the  mill,  or  wherever  the  foot  will  not  be  exposed  to  wet, 
and  that  exercise  adopted  as  early  as  possible,  and  even  from 
the  begiiming,  if  the  malady  is  confined  to  the  sole  and  frog — 


OSSIFICATION WEAKNESS    OF    THE    FOOT.  331 

these  means  will  succeed,  if  the  disease  is  capable  of  cure.  It 
is  proper  to  resort  to  neurotomy,  if  the  means  of  cure  are  per- 
sisted in.  Medicine  is  not  of  much  avail  in  the  cure  of  canker, 
but  as  it  sometimes  alternates  with  other  diseases,  a  course  of 
alteratives  or  diuretics  may  be  administered,  when  the  cure  is 
nearly  completed. 

OSSIFICATION  OF  THE  CARTILAGES. 

The  cartilages  embedded  in  the  heels  of  the  feet  from  bruises, 
sprains,  &c.,  are  subject  to  inflammation,  and  the  result  of  that 
inflammation  is  that  the  cartilages  are  absorbed,  and  bone  sub- 
stituted in  their  stead.  This  is  common  in  heavy  draught-horses, 
particularly  as  they  are  used  on  paved  streets. 

No  evident  inflammation  of  the  foot,  or  great,  or  perhaps  even 
perceptible  lameness,  accompanies  this  change  ;  a  mere  slight 
degree  of  stiffiiess  may  have  been  observed,  which,  in  a  horse  of 
more  rapid  pace,-w^ould  have  been  lameness.  Even  when  the 
change  is  completed,  there  is  not  in  many  cases  anything  more 
than  a  slight  increase  of  stiflhess,  little  or  not  at  all  interfering 
with  the  usefulness  of  the  horse.  When  this  altered  structure 
appears  in  the  lighter  horse,  the  lameness  is  more  decided,  and 
means  should  be  taken  to  arrest  the  progress  of  the  change. 
These  are  blisters  or  firing  ;  but,  after  the  parts  have  become 
bony,  no  operation  will  restore  the  cartilage.  Some  benefit,  how- 
ever, will  be  derived  from  the  use  of  leather  soles.  Advantage 
has  resulted  from  bar-shoes  in  conjunction  with  leather. 

Connected  with  ringbone  the  lameness  may  be  very  great 
This  has  been  spoken  of  in  page  268. 

WEAKNESS  OF  THE  FOOT. 

This  is  more  accurately  a  bad  formation,  than  a  disease  ;  often, 
indeed,  the  result  of  disease,  but  in  many  instances  the  natural 
construction  of  the  foot.  The  term,  tveak  foot  is  familiar  to  every 
horseman,  and  the  consequence  is  too  severely  felt  by  all  who 
have  to  do  with  horses.  In  the  slanting  of  the  crust  from  the 
coronet  to  the  toe,  a  less  angle  is  almost  invariably  formed, 
amounting  probably  to  not  more  than  forty  instead  of  forty-five 
degrees  ;  and,  after  the  horse  has  been  worked  for  one  or  two 
years  the  line  is  not  straight,  but  a  little  indented  or  hollow, 
midway  between  the  coronet  and  the  toe.  This  has  been  des- 
cribed as  the  accompaniment  of  pumiced  feet,  but  it  is  often  seen 
in  weak  feet,  that,  although  they  might  become  pumiced  by 
severity  of  work,  do  not  otherwise  have  the  sole  convex.  The 
crust  is  not  only  less  oblique  than  '.t  ought  to  be,  but  it  has  not 


332  WEAKNESS    02^    THE    FOOT. 

the  smooth,  even  appearance  of  the  good  foot.  The  surface  is 
sometimes  irregularly  roughened,  but  it  is  much  oftener  rough- 
ened in  circles  or  rings.  The  form  of  the  crust  likewise  presents 
too  much  the  appearance  of  a  cone  ;  the  bottom  of  the  foot  is 
unnaturally  wide  in  proportion  to  the  coronet ;  and  the  whole  of 
the  foot  is  generally,  but  not  always  larger  than  it  should  be. 

When  the  foot  is  lifted,  it  will  often  present  a  round  and  cir- 
ular  appearance,  with  a  fullness  of  frog,  and  would  mislead  the 
inexperienced,  and  indeed  be  considered  as  almost  the  perfection 
of  structure  ;  but,  being  examined  more  closely,  many  glaring 
defects  will  be  seen.  The  sole  is  flat,  and  the  smith  finds  that 
it  will  bear  little  or  no  paring.  The  bars  are  small  in  size.  They 
are  not  cut  away  by  the  smith,  but  they  can  be  scarcely  said  to 
have  any  existence.  The  heels  are  low,  so  low  that  the  very 
coronet  seems  almost  to  touch  the  ground  ;  and  the  crust,  if  ex- 
amined, appears  scarcely  thick  enough  to  hold  the  nails. 

Horses  with  these  feet  can  never  stand  much  work.  They 
will  be  subject  to  corns,  to  bruises  of  the  sole,  to  convexity  of  the 
sole,  to  punctures  in  nailing,  to  breaking  away  of  the  crust,  to 
inflammation  of  the  foot,  and  to  sprain  and  injury  of  the  pastern, 
and  the  fetlock,  and  the  flexor  tendon. 

These  feet  admit  of  little  improvement.  Shoeing  as  seldom 
as  may  be,  and  with  a  light  yet  wide  concave  web  ;  little  or  no 
paring  at  the  time  of  shoeing,  and  as  little  violent  work  as  pos- 
sible, and  especi;Uy  on  rough  roads,  may  protract  for  a  long 
period  the  evil  day^  but  he  who  buys  a  horse  with  these  feet  will 
sooner  or  later  have  cause  to  repent  his  bargain. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


FRACTURES. 


AccroENTS  of  this  description  are  not  of  unirequent  occurrence, 
biit  when  they  do  happen  it  is  not  always  that  the  mischief  can 
be  repaired  ;  occasionally  however,  and  much  more  frequently 
than  is  generally  imagined,  the  life  of  a  valuable  animal  might 
be  saved  if  the  owner,  or  the  veterinary  surgeon,  would  take  a 
little  trouble,  and  the  patient  is  fairly  tractable,  and  that,  in  the 
majority  of  cases,  he  will  soon  become,  with  kind  treatment. 

With  the  exception  of  accidents  that  occur  in  casting  the  ani- 
imal  for  certain  operations,  and  his  struggles  during  the  opera- 
tion, the  causes  of  Fracture  are  usually  blows,  kicks,  or  falls, 
and  the  lesion  may  be  considered  as  mnple,  confined  to  one  bone, 
and  not  protruding  through  the  skin — or  compound,  the  bone  or 
bones  protruding  through  the  skin — or  complicated,  where  the 
bone  is  broken  or  splintered  in  more  than  one  direction.  The 
duty  of  the  veterinary  surgeon  resolves  itself  into  the  replacing 
of  the  displaced  bones  in  their  natural  position,  the  keeping  of 
them  in  that  position,  the  healing  of  the  integument,  and  the 
taking  of  such  measures  as  will  prevent  any  untoward  circum- 
stances from  afterwards  occurring. 

In  the  greater  number  of  cases  of  fracture,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  place  the  horse  under  considerable  restraint,  or  even  to  sus- 
pend or  sling  him. 

Fig.  49  contains  a  view  of  the  suspensory  apparatus  used  by 
Mr.  Percivall.  A  broad  piece  of  sail-cloth,  furnished  with  two 
breechings,  and  two  breast-girths,  is  placed  under  the  animal's 
belly,  and,  by  means  of  ropes  and  pulleys  attached  to  a  cross 
beam  above,  he  is  elevated  or  lowered  as  circumstances  may 
require.  It  will  seldom  be  necessary  to  lift  the  patient  quite  off 
the  ground,  and  the  horse  will  be  quietest,  and  most  at  his  ease, 
when  his  feet  are  suffered  just  to  touch  it.  The  head  is  confined 
by  two  collar  ropes,  and  the  head-stall  well  padded.  Many 
horses  may  plunge  about  and  be  difficult  to  manage  at  first, 
but  generally  speaking,  it  is  not  long  ere  they  become  perfectly 
Dassive. 


334 


FK,AOTURES. 


The  use  of  the  different  buckles  and  straps  which  are  attached 
to  the  sail-cloth  will  be  evident  on  inspection.  If  the  horse 
exhibits  more  than  usual  uneasiness,  other  ropes  may  be  attached 
to  the  corners  of  the  sail-cloth.  This  will  aflbrd  considerable 
relief  to  the  patient,  as  well  as  add  to  the  security  of  the  band- 


Fig.  49. 


^i; 


i*p«n 


^^Vv^ 


In  many  cases  the  fracture,  although  a  simple  one,  may  be 
visible  on  the  slightest  inspection ;  in  others,  there  may  be 
merely  a  suspicion  of  its  existence.  In  detecting  it,  will  be 
exhibited  the  skill  and  humanity  of  the  educated  surgeon,  or  the 
recklessness  and  brutality  of  the  ignorant  pretender. 

Heat,  swelling,  tenderness,  fearfulness  of  the  slightest  motion, 
crepitus,  (crackling)  and  especially  change  of  the  natural  position 
of  the  limb,  are  the  most  frequent  indications  of  the  fracture. 

The  probability  of  reunion  of  the  parts  depends  upon  the  depth 
of  the  wound  connected  with  the  fracture — the  contusion  of  the 
soft  parts  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  it — the  blood-vessels, 
arterial  or  venous,  that  have  been  wounded — the  nearness  of 
some  large  joint  to  which  the  inflammation  may  be  communi- 
cated— dislocation  of  the  extremities  of  the  fractured  joint — in- 
juries of  the  periosteum — the  existence  of  sinuses,  caries,  or  ne 


FRACTURE  OF  THE  SKULL,  NASAL  BONES,  JAW-BONE.   335 

crosis,    (diseased   bones),  or   the   fracture  being   compound,   oi 
broken  into  numerous  spicules  or  splinters. 

In  a  horse  that  is  full  of  flesh,  the  cure  of  fracture  is  difficult , 
likewise  in  an  old  or  worn-out  horse — or  when  tlie  part  is  inac- 
cessible to  the  hand  or  to  instruments — or  when  separation  has 
taken  place  between  the  parts  that  were  beginning  to  unite — or 
when  the  surrounding  tissues  have  been  or  are  losing  their  vital, 
ity — or  when  the  patient  is  already  afflicted  with  any  old  or 
permanent  disease. 

It  may  be  useful  briefly  to  review  the  various  seats  of  fracture- 

Fracture  OF  THE  SKULL. — Fracturc  of  the  skull  is  generally 
accompanied  by  stupidity,  convulsive  motions  of  the  head  or 
limbs,  laborious  breathing,  and  a  staggering  walk.  The  eyes  are 
almost  or  quite  closed,  the  head  is  carried  low,  and  the  lower  lip 
hangs  down.  There  are  various  instances  on  record  of  a  portion 
of  the  depressed  bone  being  removed  and  the  animal  recovering  ; 
and  in  some  instances,  a  reunion  of  the  depressed  bones  has  taken 
place,  leaving  a  permanent  depression  of  the  outer  surface  of  the 
skull. 

Fracture  of  the  nasal  bones. — This  will  sometimes  occur 
from  falling,  or  be  produced  by  a  kick  from  another  horse,  or  the 
brutality  of  the  attendant  or  the  rider.  A  fracture  of  this  kind 
is  generally  accompanied  by  a  laceration  of  the  membrane  of  the 
nose,  aiid  considerable  hemorrhage,  (flow  of  blood,)  which,  how 
ever,  may  generally  be  arrested  by  the  ajoplication  of  cold  water. 
The  fractured  portion  of  bone  is  usually  depressed,  and,  the  space 
for  breathing  being  diminished,  difficulty  of  respiration  occurs. 

If  there  is  fracture  of  the  nasal  bones,  with  depression,  and 
only  a  little  way  from  the  central  arch  and  the  section  between 
the  nostrils,  a  slightly  curved  steel  rod  may  be  cautiously  intro- 
iuced  into  the  passage,  and  the  depressed  portions  carefully  raised. 
If  this  cannot  be  effected,  the  trephine  must  be  applied  a  little 
above  or  below  the  fracture,  and  the  elevator,  or  steel  rod,  be  in 
troduced  through  the  aperture.  If  the  fracture  is  in  any  other 
part  of  the  bone,  it  will  be  impossible  to  reach  it  with  the  eleva- 
tor, for  the  turbinated  bones  are  in  the  way.  The  trephine  must 
then  be  resorted  to  in  the  first  instance.  The  wound,  if  there  is 
any,  must  be  covered,  and  a  compress  kept  on  it. 

The  superiop.  maxillaf^y,  or  upper  jaw-bone,  will  occasion- 
ally be  fractured.  Mr.  Cartwright  had  a  case  in  which  it  was 
fractured  by  a  kick  at  the  situation  where  it  unites  with  the  iac- 
rymal  and  malar  bones.  He  applied  the  trephine,  and  removed 
many  small  pieces  of  bone.  The  wound  was  then  covered  by 
adhesive  plaster,  and  in  a  month  the  parts  were  healed. 

Mr.  Clayworth  speaks  of  a  mare  which,  being  ridden  almost 
at  speed,  fell  and  fractured  the  upper  ja*w,  three  inches  above  the 


336  FRACTURE    OF    THE    SPINE,    RIBS. 

corner  incisors.  The  front  teeth  and  jaw  were  turned  Hke  a  hook, 
completely  within  the  lower  ones.  She  was  cast,  a  balling  iron 
put  into  her  mouth,  and  the  surgeon,  exerting  considerable  force, 
pulled  the  teeth  outward  into  their  former  and  proper  situation. 
She  was  then  tied  up,  so  that  she  could  not  rub  her  muzzle  against 
anything,  and  was  well  led  with  bean-meal,  and  linseed  tea 
Much  inflammation  ensued,  but  it  gradually  subsided,  and,  at  the 
expiration  of  the  sixth  week,  the  mouth  was  quite  liealed,  and 
scarcely  a  vestige  of  the  fracture  remained. 

The  MAXILLARY  BONE,  OR  LOWER  JAW,  is  morc  subject  to  frac- 
ture, and  particularly  in  its  branches  between  the  tushes  and  the 
lower  teeth,  and  at  the  symphysis  (union  by  cartilage)  between 
the  two  branches  of  the  jaw.  Its  position,  its  length,  and  the 
small  quantity  of  muscle  that  covers  it,  especially  anteriorly,  are 
among  the  causes  of  its  fracture,  and  the  same  circumstances 
combine  to  render  a  reunion  of  the  divided  parts  more  easy  to  be 
accomplished.  Mr.  Blaine  relates  that,  in  a  fracture  of  the  lower 
jaw,  he  succeeded  by  making  a  strong  leather  frame  that  exactly 
encased  the  whole  jaw.  The  author  of  this  volume  has  effected 
the  same  object  by  similar  means. 

In  the  majority  of  these  cases  of  simple  fracture,  a  cure  might 
be  effected,  or  should,  at  least,  be  attempted,  by  means  of  well- 
adapted  bandages  around  the  muzzle,  confined  by  straps.  It  will 
always  be  prudent  to  call  in  veterinary  aid,  and  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  in  case  of  compound  fracture  of  the  lower  jaw. 

Fracture  of  the  spine. — This  accident,  fortunately  for  the 
liorse,  is  not  of  frequent  occurrence,  but  it  has  been  uniformly 
fatal.  It  sometimes  happens  in  the  act  of  falling,  as  in  leaping 
a  wide  ditch ;  but  it  oftener  occurs  while  a  horse  is  struggling 
during  a  painful  operation.  It  is  generally  sufficiently  evident 
while  the  horse  is  on  the  ground.  Either  a  snap  is  heard,  indi- 
cative of  the  fracture,  or  the  struggles  of  the  hind-limbs  suddenly 
and  altogether  cease.  In  a  few  cases,  the  animal  has  been  able 
to  get  up  and  walk  to  his  stable  ;  in  others,  the  existence  of  the 
tracture  has  not  been  apparent  for  several  hours  :  showing  that 
the  vertebra3,  although  fractured,  may  remain  in  their  place  for 
a  certain  period  of  time.  The  bone  that  is  broken,  is  usually  one 
of  the  posterior  dorsal  or  anterior  lumbar  vertebrae.  There  is  no 
satisfactory  case  on  record  of  reunion  of  the  fractured  parts. 

Fracture  of  the  ribs. — These  fractures  are  not  always  easily 
recognized.  Those  that  are  covered  by  the  scapula  (shoulder- 
blade)  may  exist  for  a  long  time  without  being  detected,  and  those 
that,  are  situated  posteriorly  are  so  thickly  covered  by  muscles  as 
to  render  the  detection  of  the  injury  almost  impossible. 

The  ordinary  causes  of  fracture  are  kicks  and  blows,  or  falls. 
The  fractures  are  generally  about  their  middle,  and,  in  the  true 


FRACTURE    OF    THE    PELVIS,    TAIL,    LIMBS.  337 

ribs,  commonly  oblique.  They  are  occasionally  broken  into  splin- 
ters, and  if  tliosc  splinters  are  directed  inward,  they  may  seriously 
wound  the  pleura  or  lungs.  In  order  most  certainly  to  detect  the 
situation  and  extent  of  these  fractures,  it  may  be  necessary  to 
trace  the  rib  through  its  whole  extent,  and,  should  there  be  any 
irregularity,  to  press  firmly  upon  it  above  and  below  in  order  to 
ascertain  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  injury. 

If  fracture  is  detected,  it  is  not  often  that  much  essential  good 
can  be  done.  If  there  is  little  or  no  displacement,  a  broad  roller 
should  be  tightly  drawn  round  the  chest,  in  order  to  prevent  as 
much  as  possible  the  motion  of  the  ribs  in  the  act  of  breathing, 
and  to  throw  the  labor  on  the  diaphragm  and  the  abdominal 
muscles  until  tlie  ti:actured  parts  are  united.  If  the  fractured 
parts  )jTotrucle  outwards,  a  firm  compress  must  be  placed  upon 
them.  Ii  they  are  depressed,  it  will  always  be  advisable  to  place 
a  firm  bandage  over  the  seat  of  fracture,  although,  perhaps,  there 
may  be  scarcely  the  possibility  of  elevating  them  to  any  consid- 
erable degree.  Should  much  irritation  be  the  consequence  of  the 
nature  or  direction  of  the  fracture,  prqper  means  must  be  adopted 
to  allay  the  coiisititutional  disturbance  that  may  be  produced. 
General  or  local  bleedij,igs  will  be  most  serviceable. 

Fracture  of  ihe  pelvis. — This  is  not  of  frequent  occurrence, 
on  account  of  the  thickness  of  the  soft  parts  which  surround  the 
pelvis,  and  protect  it  from  injury,  but  it  is  of  a  serious  character 
when  it  does  take  place,  on  account  of  the  violence  which  must 
have  been  necessary  to  produce  it.  The  usual  cases  are  falls  from 
a  considerable  height,  or  heavy  blows  on  the  pelvis.  The  injury 
may  have  reference  to  the  internal  or  external  portion  of  the  pel- 
vis. In  the  first  case,  the  danger  may  not  be  discovered  until  ir- 
reparable mischief  is  produced.  When  it  is  chiefly  external,  the 
altered  appearance  of  the  hip  speaks  for  itself  It  is  rarely  in  our 
power  to  aflbrd  any  assistance  in  cases  like  this,  except  when  there 
are  fractured  portions  of  the  bone  that  may  be  partially  or  entirely 
removed,  or  the  projecting  spine  of  the  ilium  is  only  partially 
fractured. 

Fracture  of  the  tail. — This  accident  is  not  of  frequent  oc- 
currence, except  from  accidental  entanglement,  or  the  application 
of  brute  force.  The  fracture  is  easily  recognized,  frequently  by 
the  eye  and  always  by  the  fingers.  If  the  tail  is  not  amputat(?d, 
a  cord  passed  over  a  pulley,  and  with  a  small  weight  attached  to 
it,  will  bring  the  separated  bones  again  into  apposition,  and  in 
about  a  month  the  natural  cartilage  of  the  part  will  be  sufficiently 
reinstated. 

Fractures  of  the  limbs. — These,  fortunately,  are  of  rare  oc- 
currence in  the  horse,  for  although  their  divided  edges  might 
be  easily  brought  again  into  apposition,  it  would  be  almost  in«- 
22  O 


338       FRACTURE  OF  THE  SHOULDER,  ARM,  ELBOW. 

possible  to  retain  them  in  it,  for  the  slightest  motion  would  dis- 
place them.  A  rapid  survey  of  each  may  not,  however,  be  alto- 
gether useless. 

Fracture  of  the  shoulder. — The  author  is  not  aware  of 
the  successful  treatment  of  this  accident  by  any  English  veteri« 
nary  surgeon. 

It  is  not  at  all  times  easy  to  discover  the  existence  and  precise 
situation  of  fracture  of  the  humerus.  The  lameness  is  very  great 
— the  animal  will  not  bear  at  all  upon  the  broken  limb — he  will 
drag  it  along  the  ground — he  will  move  slowly  and  with  difficulty, 
and  his  progression  will  consist  of  a  succession  of  short  leaps  The 
hfting  of  the  foot  will  give  very  great  pain.  If  he  is  roughly  han- 
dled, he  will  sometimes  rear,  or  throw  himself  suddenly  down.  By 
careful  application  of  the  hand,  a  crepitus  (crackling  sound)  will 
more  or  less  distinctly  be  heard. 

Fracture  of  the  arm. — This  accident  is  not  of  unfrequent  oc- 
currence. It  commonly  takes  an  oblique  direction,  and  is  usually 
first  discovered  by  the  displacement  of  the  limb.  Mr.  Gloag,  of 
the  10th  Hussars,  gives  an  interesting  account  of  a  case  that  oc- 
curred in  his  practice.  "  An  entire  black  cart-horse  was  grazing 
in  a  field,  into  which  some  mares  were  accidentally  turned.  One 
of  them  kicked  him  severely  a  little  above  the  knee.  He,  howev- 
er, contrived  to  get  home,  and  being  carefully  examined,  there  was 
found  a  simple  fracture  of  the  radius,  about  an  inch  and  a  half 
above  the  knee.  The  ends  of  the  fractured  bone  could  be  heard 
distinctly  grating  against  each  other,  both  in  advancing  the  leg 
and  turning  it  sideway  from  the  body.  He  was  immediately 
placed  in  a  sling  not  completely  elevated  from  the  ground,  but  in 
which  he  could  occasionally  relieve  himself  by  standing.  The  leg 
was  well  bathed  with  warm  water,  and  the  ends  of  the  bone 
brought  as  true  to  their  position  as  possible.  Some  thin  slips  of 
green  wood  were  then  immersed  in  boiling  Avater  until  they  would 
readily  bend  to  the  shape  of  the  knee,  and  they  were  tied  round 
the  joint,  reaching  about  nine  inches  above  and  six  below  the  knee, 
the  ends  of  them  being  tied  round  with  tow. 

A  fortnight  afterwards  he  became  very  troublesome,  knocking  his 
foot  on  the  ground,  and  when,  at  the  expiration  of  the  sixth  week, 
he  was  taken  from  the  slings,  there  was  a  considerable  bony  de- 
posit above  the  knee.  This,  however,  gradually  subsided  as 
the  horse  regained  his  strength,  and,  with  the  exception  of  turn- 
ing the  leg  a  little  outwards,  he  is  as  useful  as  ever  for  common 
purposes." 

Fracture  of  the  elbow. — This  is  far  more  exposed  to  danger 
than  the  two  last  bones,  and  is  oftener  fractured.  The  fracture  is 
generally  an  oblique  one,  and  about  two-thirds  froip.  the  summit 
of  the  limb.     It  is  immediately  detected  by  the  altered  action,  and 


FRACTURE  OF  THE  ^EMUE,  PATELLA,  TIBL^,  HOCK.    339 

different  appearance  of  the  limb.  It  is  not  so  difficult  of  reduc- 
tion as  either  the  humerus  or  the  scapula,  Avhen  the  fracture  is 
towards  the  middle  of  the  bone.  A  great  quantity  of  tow  satu- 
rated with  pitch  must  he  placed  around  the  elbow,  and  confined 
with  firm  adhesive  plasters,  the  ground  being  hollowed  away  in 
the  front  of  the  injured  leg,  so  that  no  pressure  shall  be  made  by 
that  toot. 

Fracture  of  the  femur. — Considering  the  masses  of  muscle 
that  surround  this  bone,  and  the  immense  weight  which  it  sup- 
ports, it  would  naturally  be  deemed  impossible  to  reduce  a  real 
fracture  of  the  femur.  If  the  divided  bones  are  ever  united,  it  is 
a  consequence  of  the  simple  repose  of  the  parts,  and  their  tendency 
to  unite. 

Fracture  of  the  patella. — This  does  occasionally,  though 
very  seldom,  occur.  It  is  usually  the  consequence  of  violent 
kicks,  or  blows,  and  if  this  singular  bone  is  once  disunited, 
no  power  can  bring  the  divided  portions  of  the  bone  together 
again. 

Fracture  of  the  tiblv. — This  affection  is  of  more  frequent  oc- 
currence, and  of  more  serious  consequence,  than  we  were  accus 
tomed  to  imagine  it  to  be. 

Mr.  J.  S.  Mayer  gives  an  interesting  account  of  the  successful 
treatment  of  a  case  of  fracture  of  the  tibia.  The  simplicity  of  the 
process  will,  we  trust,  encourage  many  another  veterinary  surgeon 
to  follow  his  example. 

"  A  horse  received  a  blow  on  the  tibia  ot"  the  near  leg  ;  but  little 
notice  was  taken  of  it  for  two  or  three  days.  When,  however, 
we  were  called  in  to  examine  him,  we  found  the  tibia  to  be  ob- 
liquely fractured  about  midway  between  the  hock  and  the  stifle, 
and  a  small  wound  existmg  on  the  inside  of  the  leg.  It  was  set 
in  the  following  manner  : — The  leg,  from  the  stifle  down  to  the 
hock,  was  well  covered  with  an  adhesive  compound  ;  it  was  then 
wrapped  round  with  fine  tow,  upon  which  another  layer  of  the 
same  adhesive  mixture  was  laid,  the  whole  being  well  splinted 
and  bandaged  up,  so  as  to  render  what  was  a  slightly  compound 
fracture  a  simple  one.  The  local  inflammation  and  sympathetic 
fever  that  supervened  were  kept  down  by  antiphlogistic  measures. 
At  the  end  of  six  weeks  the  bandages  and  splints  were  removed, 
and  readjusted  in  a  similar  way  as  before,  and  at  the  termination 
of  three  months  from  the  time  of  the  accident  he  was  discharged, 
cured,  the  splints  being  wholly  taken  off,  and  merely  an  adhesive 
stay  kept  on  the  leg.  The  horse  is  now  at  work  and  quite 
sound,  there  being  merely  a  little  thickening,  where  the  callus  is 
formed." 

Fracture  of  the  hock. — This  is  not  of  frequent  occurrence, 
but  verv  difficult  to  treat,  from  the  almost  impossibility  of  finding 


340         FRACTURE    OF    THE    CANNON,    SESAMOID    BONES,    ETC. 

means  to  retain  the  bone  in  its  situation.  A  case,  however,  some- 
what simple  in  its  nature,  occurred  in  the  practice  of  Mr.  Cart- 
wright.  A  colt,  leaping  at  some  rails,  got  his  leg  between  them, 
and,  unable  to  extricate  himself,  hung  over  on  the  other  side. 
After  being  liberated  it  appeared,  on  examination,  that  there  was 
a  simple  horizontal  Iracture  of  the  whole  of  the  os  calcis  about 
the  middle.  A  splint  was  contrived  so  as  to  reach  from  the  mid- 
dle of  the  tibia  to  that  of  the  cannon  bone,  and  this  was  applied 
to  the  front  of  the  leg,  keeping  the  hock  from  its  usual  motion, 
and  relaxing  the  muscles  inserted  into  the  os  calcis.  Underneath 
this  splint  a  charge  was  applied  about  the  part,  in  order  to  form 
a  level  surface  for  the  splint  to  rest  upon.  The  whole  was  bound 
together  by  proper  adhesive  bandages,  and  he  was  ordered  to  be 
Kept  quiet  in  the  stable,  but  not  to  be  slung.  In  about  two  months 
the  hock  was  fired  and  became  perfectly  sound. 

Fracture  of  the  cannon  or  shank  bone. — This  is  of  more 
frequent  occurrence  than  that  of  any  other  bone,  on  account  ol 
the  length  of  the  leg,  and  the  danger  to  which  it  is  exposed 
There  is  rarely  any  difficulty  in  detecting  its  situation,  but  there 
IS  sometimes  a  great  deal  in  bringing  the  divided  edges  oi"  the 
bone  again  into  apposition.  A  kind  of  windlass,  or  a  power 
equal  to  it,  is  occasionally  necessary  to  produce  sufficient  exten- 
sion in  order  to  effect  the  desired  purpose  :  but  the  divided  edges 
being  brought  into  apposition  are  retained  there  by  the  force  of 
the  muscles  above.  Splints  reaching  from  the  foot  to  above  the 
Kiiee  should  then  be  applied.  The  horse  should  be  racked  up 
during  a  fortnight,  after  which,  if  the  case  is  going  on  well,  the 
animal  may  oflen  be  turned  out. 

In  cases  of  compound  fracture  the  wounds  should  be  carefully 
attended  to :  but  Mr.  Percivall  says  that  he  knows  one  or  two 
old  practitioners,  who  are  in  the  habit  of  treating  these  cases  in 
a  very  summary  and  generally  successful  manner.  They  employ 
such  common  support,  with  splints  and  tow  and  bandages,  as 
the  case  seems  to  require,  and  then  the  animal  with  his  leg 
bound  up  is  turned  out,  if  the  season  permits  ;  otherwise  he  is 
placed  in  a  yard  or  box,  where  there  is  not  much  straw  to  in- 
commode his  movements.  The  animal  will  take  care  not  to 
impose  too  much  weight  on  his  fractured  limb  ;  and,  provided 
the  parts  are  well  secured,  nature  will  generally  perform  the 
rest. 

Fracture  of  the  sesamoid  bones. — There  are  but  two 
instances  of  this  on  record. 

Fracture  of  the  upper  pastep^n. — Thick  and  strong,  and 
movable  as  this  bone  seems  to  be,  it  is  occasionally  fractured.  This 
has  been  the  consequence  of  a  violent  effort  by  the  horse  to  save 
himself  from  falling,  when  he  has  stumbled, — it  has  happened 


FRACTURE    OF    THE    LOWER    PASTERN.  341 

when  he  has  been  incautiously  permitted  to  run  down  a  steep 
descent — and  has  occurred  when  a  horse  has  been  travelling  on 
the  best  road,  and  at  no  great  pace. 

The  existence  of  fracture  in  this  bone  is,  generally  speaking, 
easily  detected.  The  injured  foot  is,  as  lightly  as  possible,  per- 
mitted to  come  in  contact  with  the  ground.  As  little  weight  as 
may  be  is  thrown  on  it,  or,  if  the  animal  is  compelled  to  use  it, 
the  fetlock  is  bent  down  nearly  to  the  ground,  and  the  toe  isf 
turned  upward.  If  the  foot  is  turned  sideways  a  crackling 
sound  is  generally  heard,  though  this  is  not  always  the  case. 

The  probability  of  success  in  the  treatment  of  this  fracture, 
depends  on  its  being  a  simple  or  compound  one.  If  it  runs 
laterally  across  the  bgne,  it  may  be  readily  and  successfully 
treated — if  it  extends  to  the  joints  above  and  below,  it  will 
probably  terminate  in  anchylosis  (bony  union),  and  if  the  bone 
is  shivered,  as  it  too  frequently  is,  into  various  parts,  there  would 
scarcely  seem  the  possibility  of  a  successful  treatment  of  the 
case.  The  instances,  however,  are  numerous  in  which  the  case 
terminates  successfully.  Hurtrel  d'Arboval  recommends  that  a 
bandage  steeped  in  some  adhesive  matter  should  be  applied  from 
the  coronet  to  the  middle  of  the  leg.  On  this  some  wet  paste- 
board is  to  be  moulded,  enveloped  afterwards  in  a  linen  ban- 
dage. A  small  splint  is  now  to  be  applied  before  and  behind 
and  on  each  side,  and  the  hollow  places  are  filled  with  tow,  in 
order  to  give  them  an  equal  bearing.  If  this  does  not  appear 
to  be  sufficiently  secure,  other  splints,  thicker  and  broader,  are 
placed  over  those  extending  to  the  knee  or  the  hock. 

The  case  related  by  M.  Levrat  was  treated  in  this  way.  It 
will  be  comparatively  seldom  that  it  will  be  necessary  to  suspend 
the  patient.  The  animal,  under  the  treatment  of  M.  Levrat, 
kept  his  foot  in  the  air  for  nearly  three  weeks.  At  the  end  of 
that  period  he  now  and  then  tried  to  rest  his  toe  on  the  litter. 
Six  weeks  after  the  accident,  he  began  to  throw  some  weight  on 
the  foot ;  and  a  few  days  afterwards  he  was  able  to  go  to  a  pond, 
about  fifty  paces  from  his  stable,  and  where,  of  his  own  accord, 
he  took  a  foot-bath  for  nearly  an  hour  at  a  time.  At  the  expir- 
ation of  another  month  he  was  mounted,  and  went  well  at  a 
walking  pace  ;  he  was,  however,  still  lame  when  he  was  trotted. 

Fracture  of  the  loavePv.  pastern. — Although  this  bone  is 
much  shorter  than  the  upper  pastern,  there  are  several  instances 
of  fracture  of  it.  The  fractures  of  this  bone  are  commonly 
longitudinal,  and  often  extend  from  the  larger  pastern  to  the 
coffin-bone.  It  is  frequently  splintered,  the  splinters  takmir  this 
longitudinal  direction.  Hutrel  d'Arboval  relates  three  cases  of 
this,  and  in  one  of  them  the  bone  was  splintered  into  four  pieces. 
Ir  several  instances,  however,  this  bone  has  been  separated  into 


:J42         FRACTURE    OF    THE    COFFIN-BONE,    NAVICULAR   BONE. 

eight  or  ten  distinct  pieces.  When  the  fracture  of  the  bone  is 
neither  compound  nor  complicated,  it  may  be  perfectly  reduced 
by  proper  bandaging,  and,  in  fact,  there  have  been  cases,  in 
which  union  has  taken  place  with  slight  assistance  from  art  be- 
yond the  application  of  a  few  bandages. 

Fracture  of  the  coffin-bone. — This  is  an  accident  of  very 
rare  occurrence,  and  difficult  to  distinguish  from  other  causes 
of  lameness.  The  animal  halts  very  considerably — the  foot  is 
hot  and  tender — the  pain  seems  to  be  exceedingly  great,  and 
none  of  the  ordinary  causes  of  lameness  are  perceived.  Accord- 
ing to  Hurtrel  D'Arboval,  it  is  not  so  serious  an  accident  as  has 
been  represented.  The  fractured  portions  cannot  be  displaced, 
and  in  a  vascular  bone  like  this,  the  union  of  the  divided 
parts  will  be  readily  effected. 

Fracture  of  the  navicular  bone  has  been  sufficiently  con- 
sidered under  the  article  "Navicular  Joint  Disease,"  p.   311. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


ON    SHOEING,    ETC. 

Tjcce  period  when  the  shoe  began  to  be  nailed  to  the  foot  of  the 
horse  is  unceitain.  WilHam  the  Norman  introduced  it  into  our 
country. 

Far  more  than  is  generally  imagined,  do  the  comfort  and 
health  of  tne  horse,  and  the  safety  of  his  rider,  depend  upon  shoe- 

In  taking  off  the  old  shoe,  the  clenches  of  the  nails  should  al- 
ways be  carefully  raised  or  filed  off;  and,  where  the  foot  is  ten- 
der, or  the  horse  is  to  be  examined  for  lameness,  each  nail  should 
be  partly  punched  out. 

The  edges  of  the  crust  are  then  to  be  rasped  to  detect  whether 
any  stubs  remain  in  the  nail-holes,  and  to  remove  the  crust  into 
which  dirt  and  gravel  have  insinuated  themselves. 

Next  comes  the  important  process  of  paring  out,  with  regard 
to  which  it  is  almost  impossible  to  lay  down  any  specific  rules. 
This,  however,  is  undoubted,  that  far  more  injury  has  been  done 
by  the  neglect  of  paring,  than  by  carrying  it  to  too  great  an  ex- 
tent. The  act  of  paring  is  a  work  of  much  more  labor  than  the 
proprietor  of  the  horse  often  imagines.  The  smith,  except  he  is 
overlooked,  will  frequently  give  himself  as  little  trouble  about  it 
as  he  can  ;  and  that  portion  of  horn  which,  in  the  unshod  foot, 
would  be  worn  away  by  contact  with  the  ground,  is  suffered  to 
accumulate  month  after  month,  until  the  elasticity  of  the  sole  j'^ 
destroyed,  and  it  can  no  longer  descend,  and  its  other  functions 
are  impeded,  and  foundation  is  laid  for  corn,  and  contraction,  and 
navicular  disease,  and  inflammation.  That  portion  of  horn 
should  be  left  on  the  foot,  which  will  defend  the  internal  parts 
from  being  bruised,  and  yet  suffer  the  external  sole  to  descend 
How  is  this  to  be  ascertained  ?  The  strong  pressure  of  the  thumb 
of  the  smith  will  be  the  best  guide.  The  buttress,  that  most  de- 
structive of  all  instruments,  being,  except  on  very  jmrticular  oc- 
casions, banished  from  every  respectable  forge,  the  smith  sets  to 
work  with  his  drawing-knife,  and  removes  the  growth  of  horn, 
until  the  sole  will  yield,  although  in  the  slightest  possible  degree, 


344  SHOEING. 

to  the  strong  pressure  of  his  thumb.  The  proper  thickness  of 
horn  will  then  remain. 

The  quantity  of  horn  to  be  removed,  in  order  to  leave  the  pro- 
per degree  of  thickness,  will  vary  with  different  feet.  From  the 
nrong  foot,  a  great  deal  must  be  taken.  From  the  concave  foot, 
the  horn  may  be  removed  until  the  sole  will  yield  to  a  moderate 
pressure.  From  the  flat  foot,  little  needs  be  pared  ;  while  the 
pumiced  foot  should  be  deprived  of  nothing  but  the  ragged  parts. 

The  crust  should  be  reduced  to  a  perfect  level  all  round,  but 
left  a  little  higher  than  the  sole,  or  the  sole  will  be  bruised  by  its 
pressure  on  the  edge  of  the  seating. 

The  heels  will  require  considerable  attention.  From  the  stress 
which  is  thrown  on  the  inner  heel,  and  from  the  weakness  of  the 
quarter  there,  the  horn  usually  wears  away  considerably  fastei 
than  it  would  on  the  outer  one,  and  if  an  equal  portion  of  horn 
were  pared  from  it,  it  would  be  left  lower  than  the  outer  heel. 
The  smith  should  therefore  accommodate  his  paring  to  the  com- 
parative wear  of  the  heels,  and  be  exceedingly  careful  to  leave 
them  precisely  level. 

The  portion  of  the  heels  between  the  inflection  of  the  bar  and 
the  frog  should  scarcely  be  touched — at  least,  the  ragged  and  de- 
tached parts  alone  should  be  cut  away.  The  foot  may  not  look 
so  fair  and  open,  but  it  will  last  longer  without  contraction. 

The  bar,  likewise,  should  be  left  fully  prominent,  not  only  at 
its  first  inflection,  but  as  it  runs  down  the  side  of  the  frog.  The 
heel  of  the  shoe  is  designed  to  rest  partly  on  the  heel  of  the  foot 
and  partly  on  the  bar,  for  reasons  that  have  been  already  stated. 
If  the  bar  is  weak,  the  growth  of  it  should  be  encouraged  ;  and 
it  should  be  scarcely  touched  when  the  horse  is  shod,  unless  it 
has  attained  a  level  with  the  crust. 

It  will  also  be  apparent,  that  the  horn  between  the  crust  and 
the  bar  should  be  carefully  pared  out.  Every  horseman  has  ob- 
served the  relief  which  is  given  to  the  animal  lame  with  corns, 
when  this  angle  is  well  thinned. 

The  degree  of  paring  to  which  the  frog  must, be  subjected,  will 
depend  on  its  prominence,  and  on  the  shape  of  the  foot.  The 
principle  has  already  been  stated,  that  it  must  be  left  so  far  pro- 
jecting and  prominent,  that  it  shall  be  just  within  and  above  the 
lower  surface  of  the  shoe ;  it  will  then  descend  with  the  sole  suf- 
ficiently to  discharge  the  functions  that  have  been  attributed  to  it. 
If  it  is  lower,  it  will  be  bruised  and  injured ;  if  it  is  higher,  it 
cannot  come  in  contact  with  the  ground,  and  thus  be  enabled  to 
do  its  duty.  The  ragged  parts  must  be  removed,  and  especially 
tnose  occasioned  by  thrush,  but  the  degree  of  paring  must  depend 
entirely  on  the  principle  just  stated. 


SHOEING.  345 


PUTTING  ON  THE   SHOE, 

The  shoe  should  accurately  fit  the  size  of  the  foot ;  if  too  small, 
and  the  foot  is  rasped  down  to  fit  the  shoe,  the  crust  is  thinned 
where  it  receives  the  nail,  and  the  danger  of  puncture,  and  of 
pressure  upon  the  sole,  is  increased  ;  and  a  foot  so  artificially  di 
minished  in  size,  will  soon  grow  over  the  shoe,  to  the  hazard  of 
considerable  or  permanent  lameness. 

The  shoe  should  be  properly  bevelled  off,  that  the  dirt,  gravel, 
&c.,  wJiich  gets  between  it  and  the  foot  may  be  shaken  out. 

The  web  of  the  shoe  is  likewise  of  that  thickness,  that  when 
the  foot  is  properly  pared,  the  prominent  part  of  the  frog  shall  lie 
just  within  and  above  its  ground  surface,  so  that  in  the  descent 
of  the  sole,  the  frog  shall  come  sufficiently  on  the  ground  to  en- 
able it  to  act  as  a  wedge,  and  to  expand  the  quarters,  while  it  is 
defended  from  the  wear  and  injury  it  would  receive,  if  it  came 
on  the  ground  with  the  first  and  full  shock  of  the  weight. 

The  nail-holes  are,  on  the  ground  side,  placed  as  near  the  outer 
edge  of  the  shoe  as  they  can  safely  be,  and  brought  out  near  the 
inner  edge  of  the  seating.  The  nails  thus  take  a  direction  in- 
wards,  resembling  that  of  the  crust  itself,  and  have  firmer  hold, 
and  the  weight  of  the  horse  being  thrown  on  a  flat  surface,  con- 
traction is  not  so  likely  to  be  produced. 

It  is  expedient  not  only  that  the  foot  and  gro  and  surface  of  the 
shoe  should  be  most  accurately  level,  but  that  the  crust  should  be 
exactly  smoothed  and  fitted  to  the  shoe.  Much  skill  and  time 
are  necessary  to  do  this  perfectly  with  the  drawing-knife.  The 
smith  has  adopted  a  method  of  more  quickly,  and  more  accurately 
adapting  the  shoe  to  the  foot.  He  pares  the  crust  as  level  as  he 
can,  and  then  he  brings  the  shoe  to  a  heat  somewhat  below  a  red 
heat,  and  applies  it  to  the  foot,  and  detects  any  little  elevations 
by  the  deeper  color  of  the  burned  horn.  This  practice  has  been 
much  inveighed  against ;  but  it  is  the  abuse,  and  not  the  use  of 
the  thing  which  is  to  be  condemned.  If  the  shoe  is  not  too  hot, 
nor  held  too  long  on  the  foot,  an  accuracy  of  adjustment  is  thus 
obtained,  which  the  knife  would  be  long  in  producing,  or  would 
not  produce  at  all.  If,  however,  the  shoe  is  made  to  burn  its  way 
to  its  seat,  with  little  or  no  previous  preparation  of  the  foot,  the 
heat  must  be  injurious  both  to  the  sensible  and  insensible  parts  of 
the  foot. 

The  heels  of  the  shoe  should  be  examined  as  to  their  proper 
width.  Whatever  is  the  custom  of  shoeing  the  horses  of  dealers, 
and  the  too  prevalent  practice  in  the  metropolis  of  giving  the  foot 
an  open  appearance,  although  the  posterior  part  of  it  is  thereby 
exposed  to  injury,  nothing  is  more  certain  than  that,  in  the  horse 


346  CALKI]\S CLIPS. 

destined  for  road- work,  the  heels,  and  particularly  the  seat  of  com, 
can  scarcely  be  too  well  covered.  Part  of  the  shoe  projecting 
externally  can  be  of  no  possible  good,  but  will  prove  an  occasional 
5ource  of  mischief,  and  especially  in  a  heavy  country.  A  shoe, 
ihe  web  of  which  projects  inward  as  far  as  it  can  without  touch- 
ing the  frog,  afibrds  protection  to  the»angle  between  the  bars  and 
he  crust. 

Of  the  manner  of  attaching  the  shoe  to  the  foot  the  owner  can 
scarcely  be  a  competent  judge  ;  he  can  only  take  care  that  the 
shoe  itself  shall  not  be  heavier  than  the  work  requires — that,  foi 
work  a  little  hard  the  shoe  shall  still  be  light,  with  a  bit  of  steel 
welded  into  the  toe — that  the  nails  shall  be  as  small,  and  as  few, 
and  as  far  from  the  lieels  as  may  be  consistent  with  the  security 
of  the  shoe  ;  and  that,  for  light  work  at  least,  the  shoe  shall  not 
be  driven  on  so  closely  and  firmly  as  is  often  done,  nor  the  points 
of  the  nails  b*^  brought  out  so  high  up  as  is  generally  practised. 

CALKI]S^S.* 

There  are  few  cases  in  which  the  use  of  calkins  (a  turning  up 
or  elevation  of  the  heel)  can  be  admissible  in  the  fore-feet,  except 
in  frosty  weather,  when  it  may  in  some  degree  prevent  unpleasant 
or  dangerous  slipping.  If,  however,  calkins  are  used,  they  should 
be  placed  on  both  sides.  If  the  outer  heel  only  is  raised  with  the 
calkin,  as  is  too  often  the  case,  the  weight  cannot  be  thrown  evenly 
on  the  foot,  and  undue  straining  and  injury  of  some  part  of  the 
foot  or  of  the  leg  must  be  the  necessary  consequence. 

CLIPS. 

These  are  portions  of  the  upper  edge  of  the  shoe,  hammered 
)ut,  and  turned  up  so  as  to  ^brace  the  lower  part  of  the  crust 
and  which  is  usually  pared  out  a  little,  in  order  to  receive  the 
clip.  They  are  very  useful,  as  more  securely  attaching  the  shop 
to  the  foot,  and  relieving  the  crust  from  that  stress  upon  the  nail« 
which  wo«ild  otherwise  be  injurious.  A  clip  at  the  toe  is  almos* 
necessary  in  every  draught-horse,  and  absolutely  so  in  the  horse 
of  heavy  draught,  in  order  to  prevent  the  shoe  from  being  loos- 
ened or  torn  off  by  the  pressure  which  is  thrown  upon  the  toe  in 
the  act  oi  drawing.  A  clip  on  the  outside  of  each  shoe,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  quarters,  will  give  security  to  it.  Clips  are  like- 
wise necessary  on  the  shoes  of  all  heavy  hors'es,  and  of  all  other? 
who  are  dis]oosed  to  stamp,  or  violently  paw  with  their  feet,  ant 
'dius  incur  the  danger  of  di&plachig  the  shoe  ;  but  they  are  evils 

*  Called  "  calks,"  or  vulgarly,  "corks,"  in  the  XJ.  S. — Am.  Ed 


THE    HINDER    SHOE DrFFERENT    KINDS    OF    FIIOES.  347 

inasmuch  as  they  press  upon  the  crust  as  it  grows  down,  and  they 
should  only  be  used  when  circumstances  absolutely  require  them. 
In  the  hunter's  shoe  they  are  not  required  at  the  sides.  One  at 
the  toe  is  sufficient. 

THE  HINDER  SHOE. 

In  forming  the  hinder  shoes  it  should  be  remembered  that 
the  hind  limbs  are  the  principal  instruments  in  progression,  and 
that  in  every  act  of  progression,  except  the  walk,  the  toe  is  the 
point  on  Avhich  the  whole  frame  of  the  animal  turns,  and  from 
which  it  is  propelled.  This  part,  then,  should  be  strengthened 
as  much  as  possible  ;  and,  therefore,  the  hinder  shoes  are  made 
broader  at  the  toe  than  the  fore  ones.  Another  good  effect  is 
produced  by  this,  that,  the  hinder  foot  being  shortened,  there  is 
less  danger  of  over-reaching,  forging,  or  clinking,  and  especially 
if  the  shoe  is  wider  on  the  foot  surface  than  on  the  ground  one. 
The  shoe  is  thus  made  to  slope  inward,  and  is  a  little  within  the 
toe  of  the  crust. 

The  shape  of  the  hinder  foot  is  somewhat  different  from  that  of 
the  fore  foot.  It  is  straighter  in  the  quarters,  and  the  shoe  must 
have  the  same  form.  For  carriage-  and  draught- horses  generally 
calkins  may  be  put  on  the  heels,  because  the  animal  will  be  thus 
enabled  to  dig  his  toe  more  firmly  into  the  ground,  and  urge  him 
self  forward,  and  throw  his  weight  into  the  collar  with  greater 
advantage  :  but  the  calkins  must  not  be  too  high,  and  they  must 
be  of  an  equal  height  on  each  heel,  otherwise,  as  has  been  stated 
with  regard  to  the  fore  feet,  the  weight  will  not  be  •  fairly  dis- 
tributed over  the  foot,  and  some  part  of  the  foot  or  the  leg  will 
materially  suffer.  The  nails  in  the  hinder  shoe  may  be  placed 
nearer  "fo  the  heel  than  in  the  fore  shoe,  because,  from  the  com- 
paratively little  weight  and  concussion  thrown  on  the  hinder  feet, 
there  is  not  so  much  danger  of  contraction. 


DIFFERENT  KINDS  OF  SHOES. 

The  shoe  must  vary  in  substance  and  weight  with  the  kind  of 
foot,  and  the  nature  of  the  work.  A  weak  foot  should  never 
wear  a  heavy  shoe,  nor  any  foot  a  shoe  that  will  last  longer  than 
a  month.  Here,  perhaps,  we  may  ^e  permitted  to  caution  the 
horse-proprietor  against  having  his  .attle  shod  by  contract,  un- 
less he  binds  his  farrier  or  veterinary  surgeon  to  remove  the  shoes 
once  at  least  in  every  month  ;  for  if  the  contractor,  by  a  heavy 
shoe,  and  a  little  steel,  can  cause  five  or  six  weeks  to  intervene 
between  the  shoeings,  he  will  do  so,  although  the  feet  of  the 
horse  must  necessarily  suffer.     The  shoe  should  never  be  heavier 


348 


THE    CONCAVE    SEATED    SHOE. 


than  the  work  requires,  for  an  ounce  or  two  in  the  weight  of  the 
shoe  will  sadly  tell  at  the  end  of  a  hard  day's  work.  Th.s  is 
acknowledged  in  the  hunting-shoe,  which  is  narrower  and  lighter 
than  that  of  the  hackney,  although  the  foot  of  the  hackney  is 
smaller  than  that  of  the  hunter.  It  is  more  decidedly  acknowl- 
edged in  the  racer,  who  wears  a  shoe  only  sufficiently  thick  .to 
prevent  it  from  bending  when  it  is  used. 

THE  CONCAVE  SEATED  SHOE. 

A  cut  is  subjoined  of  a  shoe  which  is  useful  and  valuable  for 
general  purposes.  It  is  employed  in  many  of  our  best  forges,  and 
promises  gradually  to  supersede  the  flat  and  the  simple  concave 
shoe,  although  it  must,  in  many  respects,  yield  to  the  unilateral  shoe. 

It  presents  a  perfectly  flat  surface  to  the  ground,  in  order  to 
give  as  many  points  of  bearing  as  possible,  except  that,  on  the 
outer  edge,  there  is  a  groove  oi  fuller,  in  which  the  nail-holes  aie 
punched,  so  that,  sinking  into  the  fuller,  their  heads  project  but 
a  little  way,  and  are  soon  worn  down  level  with  the  shoe. 

Fig.  50. 


The  web  of  this  shoe  is  of  the  same  thickness  throughout,  froip 
the  toe  to  the  heel  ;   and  it  is  sufficiently  wide  to  guard  the  sole 


THE    UNILATERAL    SHOE.  349 

from  bruises,  and,  as  much  so  as  the  frog  will  permit,  to  cover 
the  seat  of  corn. 

On  the  foot  side  it  is  seated.  The  outer  part  of  it  is  accurately 
flat,  and  of  the  width  of  the  crust,  and  designed  to  support  the 
crust,  for  by  it  the  whole  weight  of  the  horse  is  sustained. 

Towards  the  heel  this  flattened  part  is  wider  and  occupies  the 
whole  breadth  of  the  web,  in  order  to  support  the  heel  of  the 
crust  and  its  reflected  part — the  bar ;  thus,  while  it  defends  the 
tiorn  included  within  this  angle  from  injury,  it  gives  that  equal 
pressure  from  the  bar  and  the  crust,  which  is  the  best  preventive 
against  corns,  and  a  powerful  obstacle  to  contraction. 

It  is  fastened  to  the  foot  by  nine  nails — five  on  the  outside,  and 
four  on  the  inner  side  of  the  shoe  ;  those  on  the  outside  extend- 
ing a  little  farther  down  towards  the  heel,  because  the  outside 
heel  is  thicker  and  stronger,  and  there  is  more  nail-hold  ;  the  last 
nail  on  the  inner  quarter  being  farther  from  the  heel,  on  account 
of  the  weakness  of  that  quarter.  For  feet  not  too  large,  and 
where  moderate  work  only  is  required  from  the  horse,  four  nails 
on  the  outside,  and  three  on  the  inside,  will  be  sufficient ;  and 
the  last  nail  being  far  from  the  heels,  will  allow  more  expansion 
there. 

The  inside  part  of  the  web  is  bevelled  off,  or  rendered  concave, 
that  it  may  not  press  upon  the  sole.  Notwithstanding  the  shoe, 
the  sole  does,  although  to  a  very  inconsiderable  extent,  descend 
when  the  foot  of  the  horse  is  put  on  the  ground.  It  is  unable 
to  bear  constant  or  even  occasional  pressure,  and  if  it  came  in 
contact  with  the  shoe,  the  sensible  sole  between  it  and  the  coffin- 
bone  would  be  bruised,  and  lameness  would  ensue.  Many  of  out 
horses,  from  too  early  and  undue  work,  have  the  natural  concave 
sole  flattened,  and  the  disposition  to  descend,  and  the  degree  of 
descent,  are  thereby  increased.  The  concave  shoe  prevents,  even 
in  this  case,  the  possibility  of  much  injury,  because  the  sole  can 
never  descend  in  the  degree  in  which  the  shoe  is  or  may  be 
bevelled.  A  shoe  bevelled  still  farther  is  necessary  to  protect 
the  projecting  or  pumiced  foot. 

THE  UNILATERAL,  OR  OIS'E  SIDE  N'AILED  SHOE. 

This  is  a  material  improvement  in  the  art  of  shoeing,  for 
which  we  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Turner. 

What  was  the  state  of  the  foot  of  the  horse  a  few  years  ago  ? 
An  unyielding  iron  hoof  was  attached  to  it  by  four  nails  in  each 
quarter,  and  the  consequence  was,  that  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten 
the  foot  underwent  a  very  considerable  alteration  in  its  form  and 
in  its  usefulness.  Before  it  had  attained  its  full  developement — 
before  the  animal  was  five  years  old,  there  was,  in  a  great  many 


350 


THE    mSTILATERAJ.    SHOE. 


.cases,  an  evident  contraction  of  the  hoof.  There  was  an  altera- 
tion in  the  manner  of  going.  The  step  was  shortened,  the  sole 
was  hollowed,  the  frog  was  diseased,  the  general  elasticity  of  the 
foot  was  destroyed — ^there  was  a  disorganization  of  the  whole 
horny  cavity,  and  the  value  of  the  horse  was  materially  dimin- 
ished. What  was  the  grand  cause  of  this  ?  It  was  the  restraint 
f  the  shoe.  The  firm  attachment  of  it  to  the  foot  by  nails  in 
ach  quarter,  and  the  consequent  strain  to  which  the  quarters 
and  every  part  of  the  foot  were  exposed,  produced  a  necessary 
tendency  to  contraction,  from  which  sprang  almost  all  the  mala- 
dies to  which  the  foot  of  the  horse  is  subject. 

The  unilateral  shoe  has  this  great  advantage  :  it  is  identified 
with  the  grand  principle  of  the  expansibility  of  the  horse's  foo+ 
and  of  removing  or  preventing  the  worst  ailments  to  which  the 
foot  of  the  horse  is  liable.  It  can  be  truly  stated  of  this  shoe, 
that  while  it  affords  to  the  whole  organ  an  iron  defence  equal  to 
the  common  shoe,  it  permits,  what  the  common  shoe  never  did  or 
can  do,  the  perfect  liberty  of  the  foot. 

We  are  enabled  to  present  our  readers  with  the  last  improve- 
ment of  the  unilateral  shoe. 


Fig.  51. 


-*rtJ?N» 


The  above  cut  gives  a  view  of  the  outer  side  of  the  off'  or 
right  unilateral  shoe.  The  respective  situations  of  the  five  nails 
will  be  observed  ;  the  distance  of  the  last  from  the  heel,  and  the 
proper  situatxons  at  which  they  emerge  from  the  crust.  The  two 
clips  will  likewise  be  seen — one  in  the  front  of  the  foot,  and  the 
o^hor     p  the  side  between  the  last  and  second  nail. 


THE    HUNTING    SHOE.  351 

Fig.  52  gives  a  view  of  the  inner  side  of  tlie  imilateral  shoe. 
The  two  nails  near  the  toe  are  in  the  situation  in  which  Mr.  Tur- 
ner directs  that  they  should  be  placed,  and  behind  them  is  no 
other  attachment,  between  the  shoe  and  the  crust.  The  portion 
of  the  crust  which  is  rasped  off"  from  the  inner  surface  of  the 
shoe,  is  now,  we  believe,  not  often  removed  from  the  side  of  the 
foot ;  it  has  an  unpleasant  appearance,  and  the  rasping  is  some- 
what unnecessary.  The  heel  of  this  shoe  exhibits  the  method 
which  Mr.  Turner  has  adopted,  and  with  considerable  success, 
for  the  cure  of  corns  ;  he  cuts  away  a  portion  of  the  ground  sur 
face  at  the  heel,  and  injurious  compression  or  concussion  is  ren- 
dered in  a  manner  impossible. 

Fig.  52. 


There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  one-sided  nailing  has  been 
exceedingly  useful.  It  has,  in  many  a  case  that  threatened  a 
serious  termination,  restored  the  elasticity  of  the  foot,  and  enabled 
it  to  discharge  its  natural  functions.  It  has  also  restored  to  the 
foot,  even  in  bad  cases,  a  great  deal  of  its  natural  formation,  and 
enabled  the  horse  to  discharge  his  duty  with  more  ease  and 
pleasure  to  himself,  and  greater  security  to  his  rider. 

THE  HUNTING  SHOE. 

The  hunter's  shoe  is  different  from  that  commonly  used,  in  form 
as  well  as  in  weight.  It  is  not  so  much  bevelled  off  as  the  com- 
mon concave-seated  shoe.  Sufficient  space  alone  is  left  for  the  in- 
troduction of  a  picker  between  the  shoe  and  the  sole,  otherwise, 
in  going  over  hea\'^r  ground,  the  clay  would  insinuate  itself,  and  by 


o52  THE    BAR-SHOE TIPS. 

its  tenacity  loosen,  and  even  tear  off  the  shoe.  The  heels  like- 
wise are  somewhat  shorter,  that  they  may  not  be  torn  off  by  the 
toe  of  the  hiud-feet  when  galloping  fast,  and  the  outer  heel  is  fre- 
quently but  injudiciously  turned  up  to  prevent  slipping.  If  calk- 
ins are  necessary  both  heels  should  have  an  equal  bearing. 


THE  BAR-SHOE. 

A  bar-shoe  is  often  exceedingly  useful.  It  is  the  continuation 
of  the  common  shoe  round  the  heels,  and  by  means  of  it  the 
pressure  may  be  taken  off  from  some  tender  part  of  the  foot,  and 
thrown  on  another  which  is  better  able  to  bear  it,  or  more  widely 
and  equally  diffused  over  the  whole  foot.  It  is  principally  re- 
sorted to  in  cases  of  corn,  the  seat  of  which  it  perfectly  covers — 
in  pumiced  feet,  the  soles  of  which  may  be  thus  elevated  above 
the  ground  and  secured  from  pressure, — in  sand-crack,  when  the 
pressure  may  be  removed  from  the  fissure,  and  thrown  on  either 
side  of  it,  and  in  thrushes,  when  the  frog  is  tender,  or  is  become 
cankered,  and  requires  to  be  frequently  dressed,  and  the  dressing 
can  by  this  means  alone  be  retained.  In  these  cases  the  bar-shoe 
is  an  excellent  contrivance,  if  worn  only  for  one  or  two  shoeings. 
or  as  long  as  the  disease  requires  it  to  be  worn,  but  it  must  be 
left  off  as  soon  as  i*t  can  be  dispensed  with.  If  it  is  used  for  the 
protection  of  a  diseased  foot,  however,  it  may  be  chambered  and 
laid  off  the  frog,  it  will  soon  become  flattened  upon  it ;  or  if  the 
pressure  of  it  is  thrown  on  the  frog  in  order  to  relieve  the  sand- 
crack  or  the  corn,  that  frog  must  be  very  strong  and  healthy 
which  can  long  bear  the  great  and  continued  pressure.  More 
mischief  is  often  produced  in  the  frog  than  previously  existed  in  the 
part  that  was  relieved.  It  will  be  plain  that  in  the  use  of  the 
bar-shoe  for  corn  or  sand-crack,  the  crust  and  the  frog  should  be 
precisely  on  a  level ;  the  bar  also  should  be  the  widest  part  of  the 
shoe,  in  order  to  afford  as  extended  bearing  as  possible  on  the  frog 
and  therefore  less  likely  to  be  injurious.  Bar-shoes  are  evidently 
not  safe  in  frosty  weather.  They  are  never  safe  when  much 
speed  is  required  from  the  horse,  and  they  are  apt  to  be  wrenched 
off  in  a  heavy,  clayey  country. 

TIPS. 

Tips  are  short  shoes,  reaching  only  half  round  the  foot,  and 
worn  while  the  horse  is  at  grass,  in  order  to  prevent  the  crust 
being  torn  by  the  occasional  hardness  of  the  ground,  or  the  paw- 
ing of  the  animal.  The  quarters  at  the  same  time  being  free,  the 
foot  disposed  to  contract  has  a  chance  of  expanding  and  regaining 
its  natural  shape. 


THE    EXPANDING    SHOE FELT   OR    LEATHER    SOLES.  353 


THE  EXPANDING  SHOE. 

Our  subject  would  not  be  complete  if  we  did  not  describe  tho 
supposed  expanding-  shoe,  although  it  is  now  almost  entirely  out 
of  use.  It  is  either  seated  or  concave  like  the  common  shoe,  with 
a  joint  at  the  toe,  by  which  the  natural  expansion  of  the  foot  is 
said  to  be  permitted,  and  the  injurious  consequences  of  shoeing 
prevented.  There  is,  however,  this  radical  defect  in  the  jointed 
shoe,  that  the  nails  occupy  the  same  situation  as  in  the  common 
shoe,  and  prevent,  as  they  do,  the  gradual  expansion  of  the  sides 
and  quarters,  and  allow  only  of  the  hinge-like  motion  at  the  toe. 
It  is  a  most  imperfect  accommodation  of  the  expansion  of  the  foot 
to  the  action  of  its  internal  parts,  and  even  this  accommodation 
is  afforded  in  the  slightest  possible  degree,  if  it  is  afforded  at  all. 
Either  the  nails  fix  the  sides  and  quarters  as  in  the  common  shoe, 
and  then  the  joint  at  the  toe  is  useless :  or,  if  that  joint  merely 
opens  like  a  hinge,  the  nail-holes  near  the  toe  can  no  longer  cor- 
respond with  those  in  the  quarters^  which  are  unequally  expand- 
ing at  every  point.  There  will  be  more  stress  on  tlje  crust  at 
these  holes,  which  will  not  only  enlarge  them  and  destroy  the 
fixed  attachment  of  the  shoe  to  the  hoof,  but  often  tear  away  por- 
tions of  the  crust.  This  shoe,  in  order  to  answer  the  intended 
purpose,  should  consist  of  many  joints,  running  along  the  sides 
and  quarters,  which  would  make  it  too  complicated  and  expensive 
and  frail  for  general  use. 

While  the  shoe  is  to  be  attached  to  the  foot  by  nails,  we  must 
be  content  with  the  concave-seated  or  unilateral  one,  taking  care 
to  place  the  nail-holes  so  far  from  the  heels,  and  particularly  from 
the  inner  heel,  as  the  state  of  the  foot  and  the  nature  of  the  work 
will  admit ;  and  where  the  country  is  not  too  heavy  nor  the  worl 
too  severe,  omitting  all  but  two  on  the  imier  side  of  the  foot. 


FELT  OR  LEATHER  SOLES. 

When  the  foot  is  bruised  or  inflamed,  the  concussion  or  shock 
produced  by  the  hard  contact  of  the  elastic  iron  with  the  ground 
gives  the  animal  much  pain,  and  aggravates  the  injury  or  disease. 
A  strip  of  felt  or  leather  is,  therefore,  sometimes  placed  between 
the  seating  of  the  shoe  and  the  crust,  which,  from  its  want  of 
elasticity,  deadens  or  materially  lessens  the  vibration  or  shock,  and 
the  horse  treads  more  freely  and  is  evidently  relieved.  This  is  a  good 
contrivance  while  the  inflammation  or  tenderness  of  the  foot  con- 
tinues, but  a  very  bad  practice  if  constantly  adopted.  The 
nails  cannot  be  driven  so  surely  or  securrly  when  this  sub- 
stance is  mterposed  between  the  shoe  and  the  foot.  The  contrac- 
23 


354  FELT    OR    LEATHER    SOLES. 

tion  and  swelling  of  the  felt  or  leather  from  the  effect  of  moisture 
or  dryness  will  soon  render  the  attachment  of  the  shoe  less  firm — 
there  will  be  too  much  play  upon  the  nails — ^the  nail-holes  will  en- 
large, and  the  crust  will  be  broken  away. 

After  wounds  or  extensive  bruises  of  the  sole,  or  where  the  sole 
is  thin  and  flat  and  tender,  it  is  sometimes  covered  with  a  piece 
f  leather,  fitted  to  the  sole,  and  nailed  on  with  the  shoe.  This 
may  be  allowed  as  a  temporary  defence  of  the  foot  ;  but  there  is 
the  same  objection  to  its  permanent  use  for  the  insecurity  of 
fastening,  and  the  strain  on  the  crust,  and  the  frequent  chipping 
of  it.  There  are  also  these  additional  inconveniences,  that  if  the 
hollow  between  the  sole  and  the  leather  is  filled  with  stopping 
and  tow,  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  introduce  them  so  evenly 
and  accurately  as  not  to  produce  partial  or  injurious  pressure.  A 
few  days'  work  will  almost  invariably  so  derange  the  padding,  as 
to  cause  unequal  pressure.  The  long  contact  of  the  sole  with 
stopping  of  almost  every  kind,  will  produce  not  a  healthy,  elastic 
horn,  but  that  of  a  scaly,  spongy  nature — and  if  the  hollow  is  not 
thus  filled,  gravel  and  dirt  will  insinuate  themselves,  and  eat  into 
and  injure  ihe  foot.^ 


*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — [Mr.  Spooner's  note  contains  nothing  not  given 
more  fully  in  the  text.  After  some  remarks  on  the  diversities  of  opinion  on 
the  subject  of  shoeing,  he  expresses  the  following  opinions  :]  Some  horses 
have  so  strong  a  development  of  the  horny  structure  of  the  foot,  that  a  con- 
siderable portion  requires  to  be  removed  at  each  shoeing,  whilst  others  re- 
quire, if  it  were  possible,  horn  to  be  added,  for  in  them  the  wear  is  gieater 
than  the  growth.  Some  horses  have  a  tendency  to  high  heels,  others  to  low 
ones ;  some  require  the  toe  of  the  foot  to  be/educed  every  month,  in  others 
there  is  not  a  particle  to  spare.  In  some  horses  the  frog  is  so  large  and 
gross  that  it  requires  considerable  paring,  in  others  it  can  only  be  very  care- 
fully removed.  We  find  the  sole  in  some  horses  so  thin  and  flat,  that  the 
shoe  must  be  seated  considerably  to  prevent  its  pressing  on  the  sole,  whilst 
in  others  the  sole  is  so  strong  and  concave,  that  it  is  a  matter  of  indifference 
whether  the  shoe  is  seated  at  all,  except  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  it 
lighter.  With  this  endless  diversity  in  horses'  feet,  how  is  it  possible  to  lay 
down  any  fixed  plan  for  shoeing  all  horses  alike  ?  All  that  can  be  done  is  to 
take  an  average  foot,  and  consider  what  sort  of  shoe  is  best  suited  for  it, 
and  so  alter  or  modify  such  shoe  as  to  adapt  it  to  other  feet  according  to 
their  peculiarities. 

There  is  no  better  shoe  for  a  saddle  or  light  harness  horse  on  the  road 
5han  one  of  moderate  weight,  rather  less  than  an  inch  in  breadth,  seated  on 
ilie  foot  surfiice,  with  five  nails  on  the  outside  quarter  and  toe,  and  two  or 
•-hree  on  the  inside  and  near  the  toe.  A  clip  at  the  toe  and  another  at  the 
mter  quarter  Avill  be  a  useful  addition;  and  if  the  shoe  is  required  to  be 
'.ight,  then  one  or  even  two  nails  may  be  dispensed  with.  By  means  of 
such  a  slioe  the  foot  will  be  secured  from  contraction,  and  the  inside  heel  in 
great  measure  from  corns.  The  shoe  should  be  of  equal  tliickness  at  the 
heel  as  at  the  toe,  and  the  web  should  be  narrower  at  the  former  than  the 
latter  situation.  If  the  heels  of  the  foot  are  very  low,  it  will  be  prudent  to 
make  the  heels  of  the  shoe  somewhat  thicker  than  the  toe,  and  vice  versfti 


STOPPING    THE    FEET.  356 


STOPPING    THE   FEET. 


The  general  habit  of  stopping  the  feet  requires  some  consider- 
ation. It  is  a  very  good  or  very  bad  practice,  according  to  cir- 
cumstances. When  the  sole  is  flat  and  thin  it  should  be 
omitted,  except  on  the  evening  before  shoeing,  and  then  the 
application  of  a  little  moisture  may  render  the  paring  of  the  foot 
saler  and  more  easy.  If  it  were  oftener  used  it  would  soften  the 
foot,  and  not  only  increase  the  tendency  to  descent,  but  the  occa- 
sional occurrence  of  lameness  from  pebbles  or  irregularities  of 
the  road. 

Professor  Stewart  gives*  a  valuable  account  of  the  proper 
application  of  stopping.  "Farm  horses  seldom  require  any 
stopping.  Their  feet  receive  sufficient  moisture  in  the  fields,  or, 
if  they  do  not  get  much,  they  do  not  need  much.  Cart-horses 
used  in  the  town  should  be  stopped  once  a  week,  or  oftener  dur- 
ing winter,  and  every  second  night  in  the  hot  weeks  of  summer 
Groggy  horses,  and  all  those  with  high  heels,  concave  shoes,  or 
hot  and  tender  feet,  or  an  exuberance  of  horn,  require  stopping 
almost  every  night.  When  neglected,  esjwcialiy  in  dry  weather, 
the  sole  becomes  hard  and  rigid,  and  the  horse  goes  lame,  or 
becomes  lame  if  he  were  not  so  before." 

One  of  two  substances,  or  a  m.ixture  of  both,  is  generally  used 
for  stopping  the  feet — clay  and  cow-dung.  '  The  clay  used  alone 
is  too  hard,  and  dries  too  rapidly.  Many  horses  have  been  lamed 
by  it.  If  it  is  used  in  the  stable,  it  should  always  be  removed 
before  the  horse  goes  to  work.  It  may,  perhaps,  be  applied  to 
the  feet  of  heavy  draught-horses,  for  it  will  work  out  before 
much  mischief  is  done. 

Cow-dung  is  softer  than  the  clay,  and  it  has  this  good  prop- 
erty, that  it  rarely  or  never  becomes  too  hard  or  dry.  For  ordi- 
nary work,  a  mixture  of  equal  parts  of  clay  and  cow-dung  will 
be  the  best  applicq,tion ;  either  of  them,  however,  must  be 
applied  with  a  great  deal  of  caution,  where  there  is  any  dispo 
sition  to  thrush.  Tow  used  alone,  or  with  a  small  quantity  of 
tar,  will  often  be  serviceable. 

If  the  sole  is  inclined  to  be  flat,  it  will  be  desirable  to  make  the  shoe  some 
what  broader  in  the  web,  unless  a  leather  sole  is  used,  which  for  such  fee 
is  extremely  useful, — indeed  a  leather  sole  is  at  all  times  desirable  during' 
the  summer  season.  It  secures  the  sole  from  injury  from  stones,  and 
saves  many  a  fall  and  broken  knee;  it  materially  lessens  concussion,  dimin- 
ishes both  the  wear  of  the  horn  and  of  the  shoe,  and  keeps  applied  to  the 
sole  a  stoppini^  of  grease  and  tar  spread  on  tow,  which  preserves  the  'norn 
in  a  moist  and  healthy  state.  It  is  objectionable  for  hunters  by  rendering 
the  shoes  more  liable  to  cast ;  and  if  required,  on  account  of  lameness,  for 
horses  going  on  the  soft  ground,  it  should  be  merely  a  narrow  rim  of  leather 
between  the  bearing  part  of  the  shoe  and  the  foot. 


356 


THE    S  .NDAL. 


In  the  better  kind  of  stables,  a  felt  pad  is  trequently  used.  It 
keeps  the  foot  cool  and  moist,  and  is  very  useful,  when  the  sole 
has  a  tendency  to  become  flat.  For  the  concave  sole,  tow  would 
be  preferable. 

THE   SANDAL. 

The  shoe  is  sometimes  displayed  when  the  horse  is  going  at 
an  ordinary  pace,  and  more  frequently  during  hunting  ;  and  no 
person  who  is  a  sportsman  needs  to  be  told  in  what  a  vexatious 
predicament  every  one  feels  himself  who  happens  to  loose  a  shoe 
in  the  middle  of  a  chase,  or  just  as  the  hounds  are  getting  clear 
away  with  their  fox  over  the  open  coiintry. 

Mr.  Percivall  has  invented  a  sanda]  which  occupies  a  very 
small  space  in  the  pocket,  can  be  buckled  on  the  foot  in  less 
than  two  minutes,  and  will  serve  as  a  perfect  substitute  for 
the  lost  one,  on  the  road,  or  in  the  field  ;  or  may  be  used  for 
the  race-horse  when  travelling  from  one  course  to  another  ;  or 
may  be  truly  serviceable  in  cases  of  diseased  feet  that  may  re- 
quire at  the  same  time  exercise  and  daily  dressing.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  short  sketch  of  the  horse  sandal. 


Fig.  53. 


Toe  Clasp -„,,, 

II* 

Hinge  "'-^-■ 

Toe-Clip 


Toe  Clasp 

Hinge 
Toe-CUp 


Heel  Clip  - 


Middle  Bar 
Side  Bar 

Heel  Clip 


Rings 

From  an  inspection  of  the  above  cut,  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
shoe,  or  iron  part  of  the  sandal,  consists  of  three  prhicipal 
parts,  to  which  the  others  are  appendages ;  which  are,  the  ti'p 


THE    SANDAL. 


357 


so  called  from  its  resemblance  to  the  horse-shoe  of  that  name  ; 
the  middle  bar,  the  broad  part  proceeding  backward  from  the 
tip  ;  and  the  side  bars,  or  branches  of  the  middle  bar,  extending 
to  the  heels  of  the  hoof.  The  aj^pendages  are,  the  toe-clasp, 
the  part  projecting, from  the  front  of  the  tip,  and  which  moves 
by  a  hinge  upon  the  toe-clip,  which  toe-clasp  is  furnished  with 
two  iro/i  loops.  The  heel-clip)S  are  two  clips  at  the  heels  of 
the  side  bars,  which  correspond  to  the  toe-clip  ;  the  latter  em- 
bracing the  toe  of  the  crust,  whilst  the  former  embrace  its 
heels.  Through  the  heel-clips  run  the  rings,  which  move  and 
act  like  a  hinge,  and  are  double,  for  the  purpose  of  admitting 
both  the  straps.  In  the  plate,  the  right  ring  only  is  represented  ; 
the  left  being  omitted,  the  better  to  show  the  heel-clip.  The 
straps,  which  are  composed  of  web,  consist  of  a  hoof-strap  and  a 
heel  and  coronet-strap. 

The  Jioof-strap  is  furnished  with  a  buckle,  whose  office  it  is  tc 
bind  the  shoe  to  the  hoof;  for  which  purpose  it  is  passed  throu^ 
the  lower  rings,  and  both  loops  of  the  shoe,  and  is  made  to  en- 
circle the  hoof  twice. 

The  Jceel  and  coronet-strap  is  furnished  with  two  pads  and 
two  sliding  loops  ;  one,  a  movable  pad,  reposes  on  the  heel,  to 
defend  that  part  from  the  pressure  and  friction  of  the  strap  ; 
the  other,  a  pad  attached  to  the  strap  near  the  buckle   affords  a 


Fig.  54. 


similar    defence,   to  the  coronet   in  front.     The  heel-strap   runs 
through   the  upper  rings,    crosses    the  heel,  and  encircles    thf» 


358  TO  MANAGE  A  FALLEN  HORSE. 

coronet ;  and  its  office  is  to  keep  the  heels  of  the  shoe  closely 
applied  to  the  hoof,  and  to  prevent  them  from  sliding  forward. 

In  the  application  of  the  sandal,  the  foot  is  taken  up  with 
one  hand,  and  the  shoe  slipped  upon  it  with  the  other.  With 
the  same  hand,  the  shoe  is  retained  in  its  place,  while  the  foot 
is  gradually  let  down  to  rest  on  the  ground.  As  soon  as  this 
is  done,  the  straps  are  drawn  as  tight  as  possible,  and  buckled. 

Fig.  54,  on  the  preceding  page,  represents  an  accurate  delinea- 
tion of  the  sandal,  when  properly  fastened  to  the  foot. 

TO  MANAGE  A  FALLEN  HORSE 

Horses  occasionally  fall  from  bad  riding,  or  bad  shoeing,  or  over- 
reaching, or  an  awkward  way  of  setting  on  the  saddle.  The  head, 
the  neck,  the  knees,  the  back,  or  the  legs  will  oilenest  suffer.  It 
is  often  difficult  to  get  the  animal  on  his  legs  again,  especially  if 
he  is  old,  or  exhausted,  or  injured  by  the  fall.  The  principal  ob- 
ject is,  to  support  the  head,  and  to  render  it  a  fixed  point  from 
which  the  muscles  may  act  in  supporting  the  body. 

If  the  horse  is  in  harness,  it  is  seldom  that  he  can  rise  until  he 
is  freed  from  the  shafts  and  traces.  The  first  thing  is  to  secure 
the  head,  and  to  keep  it  down,  that  he  may  not  beat  himself 
against  the  ground.  Next,  the  parts  of  the  harness  connected 
with  the  carriage  must  be  unbuckled — the  carriage  must  then  be 
backed  a  little  way,  so  that  he  may  have  room  to  rise.  If  neces- 
sary, the  traces  must  betaken  ofi^;  and  after  the  horse  gets  up,  he 
must  be  steadied  a  little,  until  he  collects  himself. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


OPERATIONS. 

These  belong  more  to  the  veterinary  surgeon  than  to  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  horse,  but  a  short  account  of  the  manner  of  conduct- 
ing the  principal  ones  should  not  be  omitted. 

It  is  frequently  necessary  to  bind  the  human  patient,  and  in  no 
painful  or  dangerous  operation  should  this  be  omitted.  It  is  more 
necessary  to  bind  the  horse,  who  is  not  under  the  control  of  reason, 
and  whose  struggles  may  not  only  be  injurious  to  himself,  but  dan- 
gerous to  the  operator. 

The  trevis  is  a  machine  indispensable  in  every  continental  forge  ; 
even  the  quietest  horses  are  there  put  into  it  to  be  shod. 

The  side-line  is  a  very  simple  and  useful  method  of  confining 
the  horse,  and  placing  him  in  sufficient  subjection,  for  the  opera- 
tions of  docking,  nicking,  and  slight  firing.  The  long  line  of  the 
hobbles,  or  a  common  cart-rope,  with  a  noose  at  the  end,  is  fastened 
on  the  pastern  of  the  hind- leg  that  is  not  to  be  operated  on.  The 
rope  attached  to  it  is  then  brought  over  the  neck  and  round  the 
withers,  and  there  tied  to  the  portion  that  comes  from  the  leg. 
The  leg  may  thus  be  drawn  so  far  forward  that,  while  the  horse 
evidently  cannot  kick  with  that  leg,  he  is  disarmed  of  the  other 
for  he  would  not  have  sufficient  support  under  him,  if  he  attempt 
ed  to  raise  it :  neither  can  he  easily  use  his  fore-legs  ;  or,  if  he  at 
tempts  it,  one  of  them  may  be  lifted  up,  and  then  he  becomes 
nearly  poAverless.  If  necessary,  the  aid  of  the  twitch,  or  the  bar- 
nacles, may  be  resorted  to. 

For  every  minor  operation,  and  even  for  many  that  are  of  more 
importance,  this  mode  of  restraint  is  sufficient,  especially  if  the 
operator  has  active  and  determined  assistants ;  and  we  confess 
that  we  are  no  friends  to  the  casting  of  horses,  if  it  can  possibly 
be  prevented.  When  both  legs  are  included  in  the  hobble,  or 
rope — as  in  another  way  of  using  the  side-line — the  horse  may 
appear  to  be  more  secute  ;  but  there  is  greater  danger  of  his  falling 
in  his  violent  struggles  during  the  operation. 

For  castrating  and  severe  firing,  the  animal  must  be  thrown. 
The  safety  of  the  horse,  and  of  the  operator,  will  require  the  use 


360  OPERATIONS. 

of  the  improved  hobbles,  by  which  any  leg  may  be  released  from 
confinemeiit,  and  returned  to  it  at  pleasure  ;  and,  when  the  opera- 
tion is  ended,  the  whole  of  the  legs  may  be  set  at  liberty  at  once, 
without  danger.  The  method  of  putting  the  legs  as  closely  to- 
gether as  possible  before  the  pull — the  necessity  of  the  assistants 
all  pulling  together — and  the  power  which  one  man  standing  at 
the  head,  and  firmly  holding  the  snaffle-bridle,  and  another  at  the 
haunch,  pushing  the  horse  when  he  is  beginning  to  fall,  have  in 
bringing  him  on  the  proper  side,  and  on  the  very  spot  on  which 
he  is  intended  to  lie,  need  not  to  be  described.  It  will  generally 
be  found  most  convenient  to  throw  the  patients  on  the  off  side, 
turning  them  over  when  it  is  required.  This,  however,  is  a 
method  of  securing  the  horse  to  which  we  repeat  that  we  are  not 
partial,  and  to  which  we  should  not  resort,  except  necessity  com- 
pelled ;  for  in  the  fact  of  falling,  and  in  the  struggles  after 
falling,  many  accidents  have  occurred,  both  to  the  horse  and  to 
the  surgeon. 

Among  the  minor  methods  of  restraint,  but  sufficient  for  many 
purposes,  are  the  twitch  and  the  barnacles.  The  former  consists 
of  a  noose  passed  through  a  hole  at  the  end  of  a  strong  stick,  and 
in  which  the  muzzle  is  inclosed.  The  stick  being  turned  round, 
the  muzzle  is  securely  retained,  while  the  horse  suffers  considerable 
pain  frorai  the  pressure — sufficiently  great,  indeed,  to  render  him 
comparatively  inattentive  to  that  which  is  produced  by  the  oper- 
ation ;  at  the  same  time  he  is  afraid  to  struggle,  for  every  motion 
increases  the  agony  caused  by  the  twitch,  or  the  assistant  has  power 
to  increase  it  by  giving  an  additional  turn  to  the  stick. 

The  degree  of  pain  produced  by  the  application  of  the  twitch 
should  never  be  forgotten  or  unnecessarily  increased.  In  no  case 
should  it  be  resorted  to  when  milder  measures  would  have  the  de- 
sired effect.  Grooms  and  horse-keepers  are  too  much  in  the  habit 
of  having  recourse  to  it  when  they  have  a  somewhat  troublesome 
horse  to  manage.  The  degree  of  useless  torture  which  is  thus  in- 
flicted in  large  establishments  is  dreadful :  and  the  temper  of  many 
a  horse  is  too  frequently  completely  spoiled. 

The  barnacles  are  the  handles  of  the  pincers  placed  over  and 
inclosing  the  muzzle,  and  which,  being  compressed  by  the  assist- 
ant, give  pain  almost  equal  to  that  of  the  twitch.  These  may 
appear  to  be  barbarous  modes  of  enforcing  submission,  but  they 
are  absolutely  indispensable.  In  a  few  instances  the  blindfolding 
of  the  horse  terrifies  him  into  submission  ;  but  this  is  not  to  be 
depended  upon.  The  twitch  should  be  resorted  to  when  the 
least  resistance  is  ofiered  ;  and  when  that,  as  it  occasionally  does, 
renders  the  horse  m.ore  violent,  recourse  must  be  had  to  the  side- 
line or  the  hobbles. 

In  the  pamful  examination  of  the  fore-leg  or  foot  while  on  the 


BLEEDING.  361 

ground,  the  other  foot  should  be  held  up  by  an  assistant ;  or,  if 
his  aid  is  required  in  an  operation,  the  knee  may  be  fully  bent, 
and  the  pastern  tied  up  to  the  arm.  When  the  hind-leg  is  to  be 
examined  in  the  same  way,  the  fore-leg  on  that  side  should  be  held 
or  fastened  up.^ 

BLEEDING. 

The  operation  of  bleeding  has  been  alroady  describ  ;d  (p.  166), 
but  we  would  remind  our  readers  of  the  necessity,  in  e\  ery  case  of 
acute  inflammation,  of  making  a  large  orifice,  and  abstracting  the 
blood  as  rapidly  as  possible,  for  the  constitution  will  thus  be  the 
more  speedily  and  beneficially  affected. 

The  change  which  takes  place  in  the  blood  after  it  is  drawn 
from  the  vein,  is  diligently  noticed  by  many  practitioners,  and  is 
certainly  deserving  of  some  attention.  The  blood  coagulates  soon 
after  it  is  taken  from  the  vein.  The  coagulable  part  is  composed 
of  two  substances  :  that  which  gives  color  to  the  blood,  and  that 
in  which  the  red  particles  float.     These,  by  degrees,  separate  from 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — For  the  operations  of  nerving,  firing,  and  many 
others,  where  it  is  necessary  to  be  exact,  we  prefer  casting  the  horse,  as  we 
have  him  then  completely  in  our  own  power ;  whereas,  by  the  other  re- 
straints, the  operator  is,  in  a  great  measure,  at  the  mercy  of  the  animal,  whi^ 
can  effectually  resist  if  he  pleases.  Besides  which,  in  a  case  of  lameness, 
there  is  great  danger  of  injury  arising  from  the  plunging  of  the  animal.  If  a 
soft  bed  is  made,  with  dung  at  the  bottom  and  straw  at  the  top,  there  is  but 
little  risk  in  casting.  During  the  last  nineteen  years,  in  many  hundreds  of 
operations,  we  have  only  met  with  two  cases  of  injury  from  casting,  and  these 
were  in  very  old  horses,  whose  spines  proved  to  be  anchylosed  or  set,  and 
were  thus  much  more  liable  to  fracture.  Where  the  object  is  to  perform  an 
otherwise  painful  operation  without  the  infliction  of  pain,  the  use  of  sulphuric 
ether  or  of  chloroform  may  be  had  recourse  to.  It  is  unnecessary  to  trace 
the  history  of  these  substances,  so  much  having  been  of  late  written  on  the 
subject.  The  writer  has  used  both  with  success,  but  the  chloroform  is  pref 
erable  from  its  greater  strength.  The  horse,  however,  requires  a  large  quan- 
tity before  the  powers  of  sensation  are  temporarily  destroyed,  viz.,  from  two 
to  four  ounces.  It  may  be  applied  by  a  simple  sponge,  but  better  by  means 
of  apparatus,  by  which  expiration  is  permitted,  and  at  tlie  same  time  suffi 
cient  air  admitted  to  prevent  dangerous  effects  following.  The  chloroform 
may  be  administered  while  the  horse  is  in  a  standing  position,  and  in  some 
cases  he  will  quietly  fall  or  lie  down ;  but  as,  in  other  instances,  he  will  re- 
sist with  determination,  and  stand  even  after  sensation  Is  gone,  it  is  the  bet- 
ter plan,  in  order  to  save  the  chloroform,  and  shorten  the  time  during  which 
the  horse  is  under  its  influence,  to  cast  the  animal  first,  when  the  chloroform 
can  be  immediately  applied,  and  the  operation  commenced  as  soon  as  sensa- 
tion is  removed.  Or  the  chloroform  can  be  applied  when  the  horse  is  in  a 
standing  position,  and  the  hobbles  affixed  at  the  same  time,  when,  by  means 
of  the  latter,  the  animal  can  be  quietly  thrown  as  soon  as  the  former  beguis 
o  act.  This  method  will  effect  a  saving  of  time.  The  use  of  chloroform  is 
more  suitable  for  short  operations,  such  as  nerving  or  castration,  and  the  r» 
oioval  of  tumors,  than  for  those  occupying  considerable  time. 

P 


302  BLISTERING. 

each  othei,  and  the  red  particles  sink  to  the  bottom.  If  the  coag- 
ulation takes  place  slowly,  the  red  particles  have  more  time  to 
sink  through  the  fluid,  and  there  appears  on  the  top  a  thick,  yel- 
'owish,  adhesive  substance,  called  the  buffy  coat.  The  slowness 
of  the  coagulation  and  the  thickness  of  buffy  coat  are  indicative  of 
inflammation,  and  of  the  degree  of  inflammation. 

In  a  healthy  state  of  the  system  the  coagulation  is  more  rapid, 
the  red  particles  have  not  time  to  fall  through,  and  the  buffy  coal 
is  thin.  M'^hen  the  horse  is  exhausted,  and  the  system  nearly 
broken  up,  the  blood  will  sometimes  not  coagulate,  but  be  of  one 
uniform  black  color  and  loose  texture.  When  the  blood  runs 
down  the  side  of  the  vessel  in  which  it  is  received,  the  coagula- 
tion will  be  very  imperfect.  When  it  is  drawn  in  a  full  stream, 
it  coagulates  slowly,  and  when  procured  from  a  smaller  orifice,  the 
coagulation  is  more  rapid.  Every  circumstance  affecting  the  co- 
agulation and  appearance  of  the  blood,  the  pulse,  and  the  general 
symptoms,  should  be  most  attentively  regarded. 


BLISTERING. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  effect  of  blisters,  when  treating  of 
Ine  various  diseases  to  which  they  are  applicable.  The  principle 
on  which  they  act  is,  that  no  two  intense  inflammations  can  exist 
in  neighboring  parts,  or  perhaps  in  the  system,  at  the  same  time. 

Blisters  have  likewise  the  property  of  increasing  the  activity 
of  the  neighboring  vessels  :  thus  we  blister  to  bring  the  tumor  of 
strangles  more  speedily  to  a  head — to  rouse  the  absorbents  gen- 
erally to  more  energetic  action,  and  cause  the  disappearance  of 
(lumors,  and  even  callous  and  bony  substances. 

The  judgment  of  the  practitioner  will  decide  whether  the  de- 
'ired  effect  will  be  best  produced  by  a  sudden  and  violent  action, 
or  by  the  continuance  of  one  of  a  milder  character.  Inflamma- 
tion should  be  met  by  active  blisters ;  old  enlargements  and  swell 
ings  will  be  most  certainly  removed  by  milder  stimulants — by  the 
process  which  farriers  call  siveating  down. 

There  is  no  better  or  more  effectual  blister  than  an  ointment 
composed  of  one  part  of  powdered  Spanish  flies  and  four  of  lard 
and  one  of  resin.  The  lard  and  the  resiu  should  be  melted  to- 
gether, and  the  powdered  flies  afterwards  added.  The  best  liquid 
or  sweating  bhster  is  an  infusion  of  the  fly  in  spirit  of  turpentine, 
and  that  lowered  with  neat's  foot  oil,  according  to  the  degree  of 
activity  required. 

In  preparing  the  horse  for  blistering,  the  hair  should  be  clipped 
or  shaved  as  closely  as  possible,  and  the  ointment  thoroughly 
rubbed  in.     Much  fault  is  often  found  with  the  ointment  if  the 


BLIS'i'EKlNG.  3G3 

blister  does  not  rise,  but  the  failure  is  generally  to  be  attributed 
to  the  idleness  of  the  operator. 

The  head  of  the  horse  should  be  tied  up  during  the  first  two 
days  ;  except  that,  when  the  sides  are  blistered,  the  body-clothe? 
may  be  so  contrived  as  to  prevent  the  animal  from  nibbling  and 
blemishing  the  part,  or  blistering  his  muzzle.  At  the  expiration 
of  twenty-four  hours,  a  little  olive  or  neat's  loot  oil  should  be  ap- 
plied over  the  blister,  which  will  considerably  lessen  the  pain  and 
supple  the  part,  and  prevent  cracks  in  the  skin  that  may  be  diffi- 
cult to  heal.  The  oil  should  be  applied  morning  and  night,  until 
the  scabs  peel  off.  When  they  begin  to  loosen,  a  lather  of  soap 
and  water  applied  with  a  sponge  may  hasten  their  removal,  but 
no  violence  must  be  used. 

Every  particle  of  litter  should  be  carefully  removed  from  the 
stall,  lor  the  sharp  ends  of  the  straw  coming  in  contact  with  a 
part  rendered  so  tender  and  irritable  by  the  blister,  will  cause  a 
very  great  annoyance  to  the  animal.  After  the  second  day  the 
horse  may  be  suffered  to  lie  down ;  but  the  possibility  of  blem- 
ishing himself  should  be  prevented  by  a  cradle  or  wooden  neck- 
lace, consisting  of  round  strips  of  wood,  strung  together,  reaching 
from  the  lower  jaw  to  the  chest,  and  preventing  him  from  suffi- 
ciently turning  or  bending  his  head  to  get  at  the  blistered  part. 

A  blister  thus  treated  wdll  rarely  produce  the  slightest  blemish. 
When  the  scabs  are  all  removed,  the  blister  may  be  repeated,  if  the 
jase  should  appear  to  require  it,  or  the  horse  may  be  turned  out. 

In  inflammations  which  threaten  life,  a  blister  can  scarcely  be 
too  active  or  extensive.  In  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  it  should 
reach  over  the  whole  of  the  sides,  and  the  greater  part  of  the 
brisket,  for,  should  a  portion  of  the  fly  be  absorbed,  and  produce 
'itrangury  (inflammation,  or  spasmodic  afiection  of  the  neck  of 
the  bladder,)  even  this  new  irritation  may  assist  in  subduing  the 
first  and  more  dangerous  one.  In  blistering,  however,  for  injuries 
or  diseases  of  the  legs  or  feet,  some  caution  is  necessary.  When 
speaking  of  the  treatment  of  sprain  of  the  back-sinews,  p,  260, 
it  was  stated,  that  "  a  blister  should  never  be  used  M^iiie  any  heat 
or  tenderness  remained  about  the  part,"  for  we  should  then  add 
to  the  superficial  inflammation,  instead  of  abating  the  deeper- 
seated  one,  and  enlargements  of  the  limb  and  extensive  ulcera- 
tions might  follow,  which  would  render  the  horse  perfectly  unser- 
viceable. When  there  is  a  tendency  to  grease,  a  blister  is  a 
dangerous  thing,  and  has  often  aggravated  the  disease.  In  win- 
ter, the  inflammation  of  the  skin  produced  by  bUstering  is  apt  to 
degenerate  into  grease  ;  therefore,  if  it  should  be  necessary  to 
blister  the  horse  during  that  season,  great  care  must  be  taken  th?.-*, 
he  is  not  exposed  to  cold,  and,  particularly,  that  a  current  of  coid 
air  does  not  come  upon  the  legs. 


364  FIRING. 

The  inhuman  practice  of  hlistering  all  round  at  the  same  tinio, 
and  perhaps  high  on  the  legs,  cannot  be  too  strongly  reprobated. 
Many  a  valuable  horse  has  been  lost  through  the  excessive  gen- 
eral irritation  which  this  has  produced,  or  its  violent  effect  on  tho 
urinary  organs  ;  and  that  has  been  particularly  the  case,  when 
corrosive  sublimate  has  entered  into  the  composition  of  the  blister. 

If  strangury  should  appear,  the  horse  should  be  plentifully 
supplied  with  linseed  tea,  which  is  thus  best  prepared — a  gallon 
of  boiling  water  is  thrown  on  half  a  pound  of  linseed ;  the  infu- 
sion suffered  to  stand  until  nearly  cold,  and  the  clean  mucilaginous 
fluid  then  poured  off.  Three-quarters  of  a  pound  of  Epsom  salts 
should  also  be  given,  dissolved  in  a  quart  of  water,  and,  alter  that, 
a  ball  every  six  hours,  containing  opium  and  camphor,  with  lin- 
seed meal  and  treacle. 

Half  a  pound  or  a  pound  of  good  mustard  powder,  made  into 
a  paste  with  boiling  water,  and  applied  hot,  will  often  produce  as 
good  a  blister  as  cantharides.  It  is  a  preferable  one,  when,  as  in 
inflammation  of  the  kidneys,  the  effect  of  cantharides  on  the  uri- 
nary organs  is  feared.  Hartshorn  is  not  so  effectual.  Tincture 
of  croton  makes  an  active  liquid  blister,  and  so  do  some  of  the 
preparations  of  iodine.* 

FIRING. 

Whatever  seeming  cruelty  may  attend  this  operation,  it  is  in 
many  cases  indispensable.  The  principle  on  which  we  have  re- 
course to  it  is  similar  to  that  which  justifies  the  use  of  a  blister — 
by  producing  superhcial  inflammation  we  may  be  enabled  to  get 
rid  of  a  deeper-seated  one,  or  we  may  excite  the  absorbents  to 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spookier. — There  has  been  a  vast  deal  of  puffing  and  hum- 
bug mixed  up  with  the  subject  of  blistering : — ointments  and  hniments  have 
been  sold  under  various  captivating  titles,  and  professing  to  be  so  amiable 
in  their  effects,  as  to  require  no  tying  up  of  the  horse's  head  when  the  ani- 
mal is  submitted  to  the  operation.  Now,  it  should  be  borne  in  miml,  that 
the  effect  of  a  blister  being  to  stimulate  violently  the  sensitive  cutis  and 
cause  it  to  throw  up  the  scarf  skin  in  the  form  of  bladders,  this  cannot  be 
accomplished  without  pain  and  irritation.  Of-  course,  if  fiom  the  weakness 
of  the  application  a  lesser  effect  is  produced,  the  irritation  is  so  much  the 
less.  Cantharides  is  the  base  of  nearly  all  blisters,  and  its  action  is  pretty 
oaucli  the  same,  whether  applied  in  the  usual  blistering  ointment  or  in  some 
anguent  of  peculiar  and  astonishing  efficacy,  distinguished  alike  for  the  most 
opposite  virtues, —  combining  the  strength  of  the  lion  with  the  mildness  of 
'he  dove.  It  is  a  fact  that  nine  horses  out  of  ten  will  not  attempt  to  blem- 
ish themselves;  and  it  is  the  knowledge  of  this  fact  that  induces  the  puffers 
of  these  blisters  to  state  that  the  animal  does  not  require  his  head  to  be  tied 
up.  The  careful  veterinary  surgeon  will,  however,  use  proper  precautions 
in  all  cases,  though  only  one  in  ten  may  actually  require  it.  The  writer  has 
Known  a  horse  tear  up  the  stones  under  his  feet  from  the  irritation  pi oduced 
by  James's  blistex- 


FIRING.  366 

remove  an  unnatural  bony  or  other  tumor.  It  raises  more  intense 
fcXtcrnal  inflaininatiou  than  we  can  produce  by  any  other  means. 
It  may  be  truly  said  to  be  the  most  powerful  agent  that  we  have 
a1  our  disposal.  Humanity,  however,  will  dictate,  that  on  account 
ol"  the  inllammation  which  it  excites,  and  the  pain  it  inflicts,  it 
should  only  be  had  recourse  to  when  milder  means  rarely  succeed. 

Some  practitioners  blister  immediately  after  firing.  As  a  gen- 
eral usage  it  is  highly  to  be  reprobated.  It  is  wanton  and  useless 
cruelty.  It  may  be  required  in  bony  tumors  of  considerable  ex- 
tent, and  long  standing,  anJ.  interfering  materially  with  the  ac- 
tion of  the  neighboring  joint.  Spavin  accompanied  by  much 
lameness,  and  ring-bone  spi  ^ading  round  the  coronet  and  involv- 
ing the  side  cartilages  or  the  pastern  joint,  may  justify  it.  The 
inflammation  is  rendered  m^re  intense,  and  of  considerably  longer 
duration.  In  old  affections'  of  the  round  bone  it  may  be  admitted, 
but  no  excuse  can  be  made  for  it  in  slighter  cases  of  sprain  or 
weakness,  or  staleness. 

On  the  day  after  the  o^ieration,  it  will  be  prudent  gently 
to  rub  some  neat's  foot  oil,  or  lard,  over  the  wound.  This  will 
soften  the  skin,  and  render  it  less  likely  to  separate  or  ulcerate.  A 
bandage  would  add  to  the  irritation  of  the  part.  Any  cracks  of 
the  skin,  or  ulcerations  that  may  ensue,  must  be  treated  with  the 
calamine  ointment. 

It  will  be  evident  that  there  is  an  advantage  derived  from 
firing  to  which  a  blister  can  have  no  pretension.  The  skin,  par- 
tially destroyed  by  the  iron,  is  reinstated  and  healed,  not  merely 
by  the  formation  of  some  new  matter  filling  up  the  vacuity,  but 
by  the  gradual  drawing  together  and  closing  of  the  separated 
edges.  The  skin,  therefore,  is  lessened  in  surface.  It  is  tight- 
ened over  the  part,  and  it  acts,  as  just  described,  as  a  salutary 
and  permanent  bandage.  Of  the  effect  of  pressure  in  removing 
enlargements  of  every  kind,  as  well  as  giving  strength  to  the  part 
to  which  it  is  applied,  we  Lave  repeatedly  spoken  ;  and  it  is  far 
from  bL'ing  the  least  valuable  effect  of  the  operation  of  firing, 
that,  by  contracting  the  skin,  it  affords  a  salutary,  equable,  and 
permanent  pressure.  For  whatever  reason  the  horse  is  fired,  he 
shoukl,  if  possible,  be  turned  out,  or  soiled  in  a  loose  box,  for  three 
or  four  months  at  least.  The  full  effect  intended  to  result  from 
the  external  irritation  is  not  soon  produced,  and  the  benefit  de- 
rived from  pressure  proceeds  still  more  slowly. 

The  firing  in  every  case  should  be  either  in  longitudinal  or  par- 
allel lines.  On  the  back  sinews,  the  fetlocks,  and  the  coronet, 
this  is  peculiarly  requisite,  for  thus  only  will  the  skin  contract  so 
as  to  form  the  greatest  and  most  equable  pressure.  The  lines 
should  be  about  half  an  inch  from  each  other.*" 

*  Note  by  Mr.  /S^ooner.-^Notwithstaading  its  seeming  cruelty,  it  cannot 


366  SETONS. 


SETONS 


Are  pieces  of  tape  or  cord,  passed,  by  means  of  an  instrument  re- 
sembling a  large  needle,  either  through  abscesses,  or  tlio  base  of 
ulcers  with  deep  sinuses,  or  between  the  skin  and  the  muscular 
or  other  substances  beneath.  They  are  retained  there  by  the 
nds  being  tied  together,  or  by  a  knot  at  each  end.  The  tape  is 
moved  in  the  wound  twice  or  thrice  in  the  day,  and  occasionally 
wetted  with  spirit  of  turpentine,  or  some  acrid  fluid,  in  order  to 
increase  the  inflammation  which  it  produces,  or  the  discharge 
which  is  intended  to  be  established. 

In  abscesses,  such  as  occur  in  the  withers  or  the  poll,  and  when 
passed  from  the  summit  to  the  very  bottom  of  the  swelling,  setons 
are  highly  useful,  by  discharging  the  purulent  fluid,  (pus  or  matter), 
and  suffering  any  fresh  quantity  of  it  that  may  be  secreted  to 
flow  out ;  and,  by  the  degree  of  inflammation  which  they  excite 
on  the  interior  of  the  tumor,  stimulating  it  to  throw  out  healthy 
granulations  which  gradually  occupy  and  fill  the  hollow.  In  deep 
fistulous  wounds  they  are  indispensable,  for  except  some  channel 
is  made  through  which  the  matter  may  flow  from  the  bottom  of  the 
wound,  it  will  continue  to  penetrate  deeper  into  the  part,  and  the 
healing  process  will  never  be  accomplished.  On  these  accounts, 
a  seton  passed  through  the  base  of  the  ulcer  in  poll-evil  and  fis- 
tulous withers  is  of  so  much  benefit. 

Setons  are  sometimes  useful  by  promoting  a  discharge  in  the 
neigiiborhood  of  an  inflamed  part,  and  thus  diverting  and  carry- 
ing away  a  portion  of  the  fluids  which  distend  or  overload  the 
vessels  of  that  part :  thus  a  seton  is  placed  with  considerable  ad- 
vantage in  the  cheek,  when  the  eyes  are  much  inflamed.  We 
confess,  however,  that  we  prefer  a  rowel  under  the  jaw. 

With  this  view,  and  to  excite  a  new  and  different  inflamma- 
tion in  the  neighborhood  of  a  part  already  inflamed,  and  espe- 
cially so  deeply  seated  and  so  difficult  to  be  reached  as  the  navic- 
ular joint,  a  seton  has  occasionally  been  used  with  manifest  ben- 
efit, but  we  must  peremptorily  object  to  the  indiscriminate  use 
of  the  frog-seton  for  almost  every  disease  of  the  frog  or  the  foot. 

In  inflammations  of  extensive  organs,  setons  afford  only  feeble 
aid.  Their  action  is  too  circumscribed.  In  inflammation  of  the 
chest  or  the  intestines,  a  rowel  is  preferable  to  a  seton ;  and  a 
blister  is  far  better  than  any  of  them. 

be  denied  that  this  operation  often  succeeds  when  all  the  other  methods  of 
cure  have  failed.  We  have  little  or  nothing  to  add  as  to  the  mode  of  per- 
forming tiie  operation,  onl\'  that  we  prefer  the  lines  to  be  made  in  the 
oblique  or  feather  forn:i,  simply  because  it  is  as  effectual  as  the  perpendicu- 
lar tiring,  as  regards  the  bandage,  and  leaves  a  lesser  blemish  as  the  lineu 
become  covered  by  the  hair  growing  from  above. 


nocKmo.  367 

On  the  principle  of  exciting  the  absorbents  to  action  for  the 
removal  of  tumors,  as  spavin  or  splent,  a  blister  is  quicker  in 
its  action,  and  far  more  effectual  than  any  seton  Firing  is  still 
more  uselul.=^ 

DOCKING. 

The  shortening  of  the  tail  of  the  horse  is  an  operation  which 
"ashion  and  the  convenience  of  the  rider  require  to  be  performed 
)n  most  of  these  animals. 

The  operation  is  simple.  That  joint  is  searched  for  which  is 
;he  nearest  to  the  desired  length  of  tail.  The  hair  is  then  turned 
ap,  and  tied  round  with  tape  for  an  inch  or  two  above  this  joint, 
and  that  which  lies  immediately  upon  this  joint  is  cut  oft^.  The 
horse  is  fettered  with  the  side-line,  and  then  the  veterinary  sur- 
geon with  his  docking-machine,  or  the  farmer  with  his  carving- 
knife  and  mallet,  cuts  through  the  tail  at  one  stroke. 

The  bleeding  which  ensues  is  rarely  injurious,  but  as  it  would 
occasionally  continue  some  hours  and  weaken  the  animal,  it  is 
customary  to  stop  it  by  the  application  of  a  hot  iron. 

A  large  hole  is  made  in  the  centre  of  the  iron,  that  the  bone 
may  not  be  seared,  which  would  exfoliate  (scale  off)  if  it  were 
burned  with  any  severity,  or  drop  off  at  the  joint  above,  and  thus 
shorten  the  dock.  The  iron  rests  on  the  muscular  parts  round 
the  bone,  and  is  brought  into  contact  with  the  bleeding  vessels, 
and  very  speedily  stops  the  bleeding.  Care  should  'be  taken  that 
the  iron  is  not  too  hot — and  that  it  is  not  held  too  long  or  too 
forcibly  on  the  part,  for  many  m.ore  horses  would  be  destroyed  by 
severe  application  of  the  cautery,  than  by  the  bleeding  being  left 
to  its  own  course. 

Powdered  resin  sprinkled  on  the  stump,  or  indeed  any  other 
application,  is  worse  than  useless.  It  causes  unnecessary  irrita- 
tion, and  sometimes  extensive  ulceration  ;  but  if  the  simple  iron 
is  moderately  applied,  the  horse  may  go  to  work  immediately 
after  the  operation,  and  no  dressing  will  be  afterwards  required 
If  a  slight  bleeding  should  occur  after  the  cautery,  it  is  much 
better  to  let  it  alone  than  to  run  the  risk  of  inflammation  or 
locked-jaw,  by  re-applying  the  iron  with  greater  severity. 

Some  farmers  dock  their  colts  a  few  days  after  they  are  drop- 
ped. This  is  a  commendable  custom  on  the  score  of  humanity 
No  colt  was  ever  lost  by  it ;  and  neither  the  growth  of  the  haii 
nor  the  beauty  of  the  tail,  is  in  the  least  impaired. 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — We  are  more  favorable  than  our  author  to  the 
3se  of  setons ;  they  are  equally  effectual  and  far  more  cleanly  than  rowels, 
and  a  deep-seated  and  continued  action  may  be  kept  up  with  little  or  do 
pain  to  the  animal.  They  are  often  preferable  to  other  methods  of  treat- 
ment for  diseases  of  the  hocks,  and  we  have  found  the  use  of  the  frog  seton, 
in  many  instances,  extremely  beneficial. 


368  NICKING. 


NICKING. 


This  barbarous  operation  was  once  sanctioned  by  fashion,  and 
the  breeder  and  the  dealer  even  now  are  sometimes  tempted  to 
inflict  the  torture  of  it  in  order  to  obtain  a  ready  sale  for  their 
Cults.  It  is  not,  however,  practised  to  the  extent  that  it  used  to 
be,  nor  attended  by  so  many  circumstances  of  cruelty. 

The  operation  is  thus  performed.  The  side-line  is  put  on  the 
horse,  or  some  persons  deem  it  more  prudent  to  cast  him,  and 
that  precaution  we  should  be  disposed  to  recommend.  The  hair 
at  the  end  of  the  tail  is  securely  tied  together,  for  the  purpose  of 
afterwards  attaching  a  weight  to  it.  The  operator  then  grasps 
the  tail  in  his  hand,  and,  lifting  it  up,  feels  for  the  centre  of  one 
of  the  bones — the  prominences  at  the  extremities  will  guide  him 
— from  two  to  four  inches  from  the  root  of  the  tail,  according  to 
the  size  of  the  horse.  He  then,  with  a  sharp  knife,  divides  the 
muscles  deeply  from  the  edge  of  the  tail  on  one  side  to  the  centre, 
and,  continuing  the  incision  across  the  bone  of  the  tail,  he  makes 
it  as  deep  on  the  other  side.  One  continued  incision,  steadily 
yet  rapidly  made,  will  accomplish  all  this.  If  it  is  a  blood-horse 
.that  is  operated  on,  this  will  be  sufficient.  For  a  hunter,  two 
mcisions  are  usually  made,  the  second  being  about  two  inches 
below  the  first,  and  likewise  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  centre 
of  one  of  the  bones. 

On  a  hackney,  or  cocktail,  a  third  incision  is  made  ;  for  fashion 
has  decided  that  his  tail  shall  be  still  more  elevated  and  curved 
Two  incisions  only  are  made  in  the  tail  of  a  mare,  and  the  second 
not  very  deep. 

When  the  second  incision  is  made,  some  fibres  of  the  muscles 
between  the  first  and  second  will  project  into  the  wound,  and 
must  be  removed  by  a  pair  of  curved  scissors.  The  same  must 
be  done  with  the  projecting  portions  from  between  the  secona 
and  third  incisions.  The  wound  should  then  be  carefully  ex- 
amined, in  order  to  ascertain  that  the  muscles  have  been  equally 
divided  on  each  side,  otherwise  the  tail  will  be  carried  awry. 
This  being  done,  pledgets  of  tow  must  be  introduced  deeply  into 
each  incision,  and  confined,  but  not  too  tightly,  by  a  bandage. 
A  very  profuse  bleeding  will  alone  justify  any  tightness  of  band- 
age, and  the  ill  consequences  that  have  resulted  from  nicking  are 
mainly  attributable  to  the  unnecessary  force  that  is  used  in  con- 
fining tlTJise  pledgets.  Even  if  the  bleeding,  immediately  aftei 
the  operation,  should  have  been  very  great,  the  roller  must  be 
loosened  in  two  or  three  hours,  otherwise  swelling  and  inflamma- 
tion, and  even  death,  may  possibly  ensue.  Twenty-four  hours 
after  the  operation,  the  bandage  must  be  quite  removed ;  and 


NICKING.  369 

then,  all  that  is  necessary,  so  far  as  the  healing  of  the  incisions 
is  concerned,  is  to  keep  them  clean. 

The  wounds  must  remain  open,  and  that  can  only  be  accom- 
plished by  forcibly  keeping  the  tail  curved  back  during  two  or 
three  weeks.  For  this  purpose  a  cord,  one  or  two  feet  in  length, 
is  affixed  to  the  end  of  the  hair,  which  terminates  in  another 
divided  cord,  each  division  going  over  a  pully  on  either  side  of 
the  back  of  the  stall.  A  weight  is  hung  at  either  extremity  suf- 
ficient to  keep  the  incisions  properly  open,  and  regulated  by  the 
degree  in  which  this  is  wished  to  be  accomplished.  The  animal 
will  thus  be  retained  in  an  uneasy  position,  although,  after  the 
first  two  or  three  days,  probably  not  of  acute  pain.  It  is  barbar- 
ous to  increase  this  uneasiness  or  pain  by  affixing  too  great  a 
weight  to  the  cords  ;  for  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  proper 
elevated  curve  is  given  to  the  tail,  not  by  the  weight  of  keeping 
it  in  a  certain  position  for  a  considerable  time,  but  by  the  depth 
of  the  first  incisions,  and  the  degree  in  which  the  w^ounds  are 
kept  open. 

The  dock  should,  not — for  the  first  three  or  four  days — be 
brought  higher  than  the  back.  Dangerous  irritation  and  inflam- 
mation would  probably  be  produced.  It  may,  after  that,  be 
gradually  raised  to  an  elevation  of  forty-five  degrees.  The  horse 
should  be  taken  out  of  the  pulleys,  and  gently  exercised  once  or 
twice  every  day ;  but  the  pulleys  pannot  finally  be  dispensed 
with  until  a  fortnight  after  the  wounds  have  healed,  because 
the  process  of  contraction,  or  the  approach  of  the  divided  parts, 
goes  on  for  some  time  after  the  skin  is  perfect  over  the  incisions, 
and  the  tail  would  thus  sink  below  the  desired  elevation. 

If  the  tail  has  not  been  unnecessarily  extended  by  enormous 
weights,  no  bad  consequences  will  usually  follow  ;  but  if  consid- 
erable inflammation  should  ensue,  the  tail  must  be  taken  from 
the  pulley  and  diligently  fomented  with  simple  warm  water,  and 
a  dose  of  physic  given.  Locked-jaw  has  in  some  rare  instances 
followed,  unaer  which  the  horse  generally  perishes.  The  best 
means  of  cure  in  the  early  state  of  this  disease  is  to  amputate  the 
tail  at  the  joint  above  the  highest  incision.  In  order  to  prevent 
the  hair  from  coming  ofl^,  it  sliouid  be  unplaited  and  combed  out 
every  fourth  or  fifth  day. 

P 


24 


CHAPTER  XIL 


THE    VICES    AND    DISAGREEABLE    OR    DANGEROUS    HABITS 
OF    THE    HORSE. 

The  horse  lias  many  excellent  qualities,  but  he  has  Hkewise 
defects,  and  these  occasionally  amounting  to  vices.  Some  of 
them  may  be  attributed  to  natural  temper,  for  the  human  being 
scarcely  discovers  more  peculiarities  of  habit  and  disposition  than 
does  the  horse.  The  majority  of  them,  however,  as  perhaps  iu 
the  human  being,  are  the  consequences  of  a  faulty  education. 
Their  early  instructor  has  been  ignorant  and  brutal,  and  they 
have  become  obstinate  and  vicious. 

RESTIVENESS. 

At  the  head  of  all  the  vices  of  the  horse  is  PwESTIVEness,  the 
most  annoying  and  the  most  dangerous  of  all.  It  is  the  produce 
of  bad  temper  and  v^^orse  education  ;  and,  like  all  other  habits 
founded  on  nature  and  stamped  by  education,  it  is  inveterate. 
Whether  it  appears  in  the  form  of  kicking,  or  rearing,  plunging, 
or  bolting,  or  in  any  way  that  threatens  danger  to  the  rider  or 
the  horse,  it  rarely  admits  of  cure.  A  determined  rider  may  to 
a  certain  extent  subjugate  the  animal ;  or  the  horse  may  have 
nis  favorites,  or  form  his  attachments,  and  with  some  particular 
person  he  may  be  comparatively  or  perfectly  manageable  ;  but 
others  cannot  long  depend  upon  him,  and  even  his  master  is  not 
always  sure  of  him.  It  is  a  rule,  that  admits  of  very  few  ex;- 
ceptions,  that  he  neither  displays  his  wisdom  nor  consults  his 
safety,  who  attempts  to  conquer  a  restive  horse. 

BACKING  OR  GIBBING.* 

One  of  the  first  kinds  of  restiveness,  taking  them  in  alphabeti 
cal  order,  is  backing  or  gibbing.     These  are  so  closely  allied  that 
we  hardly  know  how  to  separate  them.     Some  horses  have  the 

*  Termed  "  balking"  in  the  United  States,  and  the  horse  accustomed  te 
It  is  said  to  be  "  balky." — Am.  Ed 


GIBBING.  371 

habit  of  backing  at  first  starting,  and  that  more  from  playfulness 
than  desire  of  mischief  A  moderate  application  of  the  whip 
will  usually  be  efiectual.  Others,  even  after  starting,  exhibit 
considerable  obstinacy  and  viciousness.  This  is  frequently  the 
efiect  of  bad  breaking.  Either  the  shoulder  of  the  horse  had 
been  wrung  when  he  was  first  put  to  the  collar,  or  he  had  been 
foolishly  accustomed  to  be  started  in  the  break  U2>hill,  and, 
therefore,  all  his  work  coming  upon  him  at  once,  he  gradually 
acquired  this  dangerous  habit. 

A  hasty  and  passionate  breaker  will  often  make  a  really  good- 
tempered  young  horse  an  inveterate  gibber.  Every  young  horse 
is  at  first  shy  of  the  collar.  If  he  is  too  quickly  forced  to  throw 
his  weight  into  it,  he  will  possibly  take  a  dislike  to  it,  that  will 
oocasionally  show  itself  in  the  form  of  gibbing  as  long  as  he 
lives.  The  judicious  horse-breaker  will  resort  to  no  severity, 
even  if  the  colt  should  go  out  several  times  without  even  touch- 
ing collar.  The  example  of  his  companion  will  ultimately  induce 
him  to  take  it  voluntarily  and  effectually. 

xA  large  and  heavy  stone  should  be  put  behind  the  wheel  be- 
fore starting,  when  the  horse,  finding  it  more  difficult  to  back 
than  to  go  forward,  will  gradually  forget  this  unpleasant  trick. 
It  will  likewise  be  of  advantage  as  often  as  it  can  be  managed, 
so  to  start  that  the  horse  shall  have  to  back  up-hill.  The  diffi 
culty  of  accomplishing  this  will  soon  make  him  readily  go  for- 
ward. A  little  coaxing,  or  leading,  or  moderate  flagellation,  wili 
assist  in  accomplishing  the  cure. 

When,  however,  a  horse,  thinking  he  has  had  enough  of  work, 
or  has  been  improperly  checked  or  corrected,  or  begimiing  to  feel 
the  pamful  pressure  of  the  collar,  swerves,  and  gibs,  and  backs, 
it  is  a  more  serious  matter.  Persuasion  should  first  be  tried  ;  and, 
afterwards,  reasonable  coercion,  but  no  cruelty  :  for  the  brutality 
which  is  often  exercised  to  compel  a  gibbing  horse  to  throw  him- 
self habitually  into  the  collar,  never  yet  accomplished  the  purpose. 
The  horse,  may,  perhaps,  be  whipped  into  motion  ;  but  if  he 
has  once  begun  to  gib,  he  will  have  recourse  to  it  again  whenever 
any  circumstance  displeases  or  annoys  him,  and  the  habit  will  be 
so  rapidly  and  completely  formed,  that  he  will  become  insensible 
to  all  severity. 

Sometimes  a  horse  not  often  accustomed  to  gib,  betrays  a  relu 
tance  to  move,  or  a  determination  not  to  move.  Before  resorting 
to  severity,  the  cause,  if  practicable,  should  be  ascertained.  The 
horse  may  be  overtaxed,  his  withers  may  be  wrung,  or  he  may 
be  insupportably  galled  or  pained  by  the  harness.  These  things 
should  be  examined  into,  and,  if  possible,  rectified  ;  for,  under 
such  circumstances,  cruelty  may  produce  obstinacy  and  vice,  but 
not  willingf  obediencf 


372  BITING CHEEK    OF    THE    BIT    IN    THE    MOUTH. 

They  who  are  accustomed  to  horses  know  what  seemingly 
trivial  circumstances  occasionally  produce  this  vice.  A  horse, 
whose  shoulders  are  raw,  or  have  frequently  been  so,  will  not 
start  with  a  cold  collar.  When  the  collar  has  acquired  the 
warmth  of  the  parts  on  which  it  presses,  the  animal  will  go  with- 
out reluctance.  Some  determined  gibbers  have  been  reformed  by 
constantly  wearing  a  false  collar,  or  strip  of  cloth  round  the 
shoulders,  so  that  the  coldness  of  the  usual  collar  should  never  be 
felt ;  and  others  have  been  cured  of  gibbing  by  keeping  the  collar 
on  night  and  day,  for  the  animal  is  not  able  to  lie  down  completely 
at  full  length,  which  the  tired  horse  is  always  glad  to  do. 
When  a  horse  gibs,  not  at  starting,  but  while  doing  his  work,  it 
has  sometimes  been  useful  to  line  the  collar  with  cloth  instead 
of  leather ;  the  perspiration  is  readily  absorbed,  the  substance 
which  presses  on  the  shoulder  is  softer,  and  it  may  be  far  more 
accurately  eased  off  at  a  tender  place. 

BITING. 

This  is  either  the  consequence  of  natural  ferocity,  or  a  habit 
acquired  from  the  foolish  and  teasing  play  of  grooms  and  stable- 
boys.  When  a  horse  is  tickled  and  pinched  by  thoughtless 
and  mischievous  youths,  he  will  first  pretend  to  bite  his  tor- 
mentors ;  by  degrees  he  will  proceed  farther,  and  actually  bite 
them,  and  very  soon  after  that,  he  will  be  the  first  to  challenge 
to  the  combat,  and,  without  provocation,  seize  some  opportunity 
to  gripe  the  incautious  tormentor.  At  length,  as  the  love  of 
mischief  is  a  propensity  too  easily  acquired,  this  war,  half  play- 
ful and  half  in  earnest,  becomes  habitual  to  him,  and  degen- 
erates into  absolute  viciousness. 

It  is  seldom  that  anything  can  be  done  in  the  way  of  cure. 
Kindness  will  aggravate  the  evil,  and  no  degree  of  severity 
will  correct  it.  "I  have  seen,"  says  Professor  Stewart,  "  bilers 
punished  until  they  trembled  in  every  joint,  and  were  ready  to 
drop,  but  have  never  in  any  case  known  them  cured  by  this 
treatment,  or  by  any  other.  The  lash  is  forgotten  in  an  hour, 
and  the  horse  is  as  ready  and  determined  to  repeat  the  offence 
as  before.  He  appears  unable  to  resist  the  temptation,  and  in 
its  worst  form  biting  is  a  species  of  insanity." 

Prevention,  however,  is  in  the  power  of  every  proprietor  of 
horses.  While  he  insists  on  gentle  and  humane  treatment  of 
his  cattle,  he  should  systematically  forbid  this  horse-play. 

GETTING   THE   CHEEK   OF   THE   BIT  INTO   THE   MOUTH. 

Some  horses  that  are  disposed  to  be  mischievous  try  to  do 
this,  and  are  very  expert  at  it.     They  soon  find  what  advantage 


KICKING.  373 

it  gives  them  over  their  driver,  who  by  this  manoeuvre  loses  al- 
most all  command.  Harsh  treatment  is  here  completely  out  of 
the  question.  4.11  that  can  he  done,  is,  by  some  mechanical 
contrivance,  to  render  the  thing  difficult  or  impossible,  and  this 
may  be  managed  by  fastening  a  round  piece  of  leather  on  the 
inside  of  the  cheek  of  the  bit. 


KICKING. 

This,  as  a  vice,  is  another  consequence  of  the  culpable  habit 
of  grooms  and  stable-boys  of  teasing  the  horse.  That  which  is 
at  first  an  indication  of  annoyance  at  the  pinching  and  tickling 
of  the  groom,  and  without  any  design  to  injure,  gradually  be- 
comes the  expression  of  anger,  and  the  effort  to  do  mischief. 
The  horse  likewise  too  soon  recognizes  the  least  appearance  of 
timidity,  and  takes  advantage  of  the  discovery.  There  is  no 
cure  for  this  vice  ;  and  he  cannot  be  justified  who  keeps  a  kick- 
ing horse  in  his  stable. 

Some  horses  acquire,  from  mere  irritability  and  fidgetiness,  a 
habit  of  kicking  at  the  stall  or  the  bail,  and  particularly  at 
night.  The  neighboring  horses  are  disturbed,  and  the  kicker 
gets  swelled  hocks,  or  some  more  serious  injury.  This  is  also 
a  habit  very  difficult  to  correct  if  suffered  to  become  established 
Mares  are  far  more  subject  to  it  than  horses. 

Before  the  habit  is  inveterately  established,  a  thorn-bush  or  a 
piece  of  furze  fastened  against  the  partition  or  post  will  some- 
times effect  a  cure.  When  the  horse  finds  that  he  is  pretty 
severely  pricked,  he  will  not  long  continue  to  punish  himself  In 
confirmed  cases  it  may  be  necessary  to  have  recourse  to  the  log, 
but  the  legs  are  often  not  a  little  bruised  by  it.  A  rather  long 
and  heavy  piece  of  wood  attached  to  a  chain  has  been  buckled 
above  the  hock,  so  as  to  reach  about  half-way  down  the  leg. 
When  the  horse  attempts  to  kick  violently,  his  leg  will  re- 
ceive a  severe  blow  :  this,  and  the  repetition  of  it,  may,  after 
a  time,  teach  him  to  be  quiet. 

A  much  more  serious  vice  is  kicking  in  harness.  From  the 
least  annoyance  about  the  rump  or  quarters,  some  horses  will 
kick  at  a  most  violent  rate,  and  destroy  the  bottom  ol  the  chaise, 
and  endanger  the  limbs  of  the  driver.  Those  that  are  fidgety 
in  the  stable  are  most  apt  to  do  this.  If  the  reins  should  per- 
chance get  under  the  tail,  the  violence  of  the  kicker  will  often 
be  most  outrageous ;  and  while  the  animal  presses  down  his 
tail  so  tightly  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  extricate  the  reins, 
he  continues  to  plunge  until  he  has  demolished  everything  behind 
him. 

This  is  a  vice  standing  foremost  in  point  of  danger,  and  wnich 


374  UNSTEADINESS   WHILE    BEING    MOUNTED REARING, 

no  treatment  will  always  conquer.  It  will  be  altogether  in  vain 
to  try  coercion.  If  the  shafts  are  very  strong  and  without  flaw, 
or  if  they  are  plated  with  iron  underneath,  and  a  stout  kicking- 
Btrap  resorted  to  which  will  barely  allow  the  horse  the  proper 
use  of  his  hind  limbs  in  progression,  but  not  permit  him  to  raise 
them  sufficiently  for  the  purpose  of  kicking,  he  may  be  pre- 
sented from  doing  mischief;  or  if  he  is  harnessed  to  a  heavy 
cart,  and  thus  confined,  his  efforts  to  lash  out  will  be  restrained  : 
but  it  is  frequently  a  very  unpleasant  thing  to  witness  these 
attempts,  though  ineffectual,  to  demolish  the  vehicle,  for  the 
shafts  or  the  kicking-strap  may  possibly  break,  and  extreme  dan- 
ger may  ensue.  A  horse  that  has  once  begun  to  kick,  whatever 
may  have  been  the  original  cause  of  it,  can  never  be  depended 
upon  again,  and  he  will  be  very  unwise  who  ventures  behind 
him.  The  man,  however,  who  must  come  within  reach  of  a 
kicker  should  come  as  close  to  him  as  possible.  The  blow  maj 
thus  become  a  push,  and  seldom  is  injurious. 

UNSTEADINESS   WHILE  BEING  MOUNTED. 

When  this  merely  amounts  to  eagerness  to  start — very  un 
pleasant,  indeed,  at  times,  for  many  a  rider  has  been  thrown 
from  his  seat  before  he  was  fairly  fixed  in  it — it  may  be 
remedied  by  an  active  and  good  horseman.  We  have  known 
many  instances  in  which,  while  the  elderly,  and  inactive,  and 
fearful  man  has  been  making  more  than  one  ineftectual  attempt 
to  vault  into  the  saddle,  the  horse  has  been  dancing  about  to  his 
annoyance  and  danger ;  but  the  animal  had  no  sooner  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  management  of  a  younger  and  more  agile  rider 
than  he  became  perfectly  subdued.  Severity  will  here,  more 
decidedly  than  in  any  other  case,  do  harm.  The  rider  should  be 
fearless — he  should  carelessly  and  confidently  approach  the  horse, 
mount  at  the  first  effort,  and  then  restrain  him  for  a  while ; 
patting  him,  and  not  suffering  him  to  proceed  until  he  becomes 
perfectly  quiet.  Horses  of  this  kind  should  not  be  too  highly 
fed,  and  should  have  sufficient  daily  exercise. 

When  the  difficulty  of  mounting  arises,  not  from  eagerness  to 
start,  but  unwillingness  to  be  ridden,  the  sooner  that  horse  is 
disposed  of  the  better.  He  may  be  conquered  by  a  skilful  and 
determined  horseman ;  but  even  he  will  not  succeed  without 
frequent  and  dangerous  contests  that  will  mar  all  the  pleasure 
of  the  ride. 

REARING. 

This  sometimes  results  from  playfulness,  carried  indeed,  to  an 
unpleasant  and  dangerous  extent ;  but  it  is  oftener  a  desperate 


RUNNING    AWAY ^VICIOUS    TO    CLEAN.  375 

and  occasionally  successful  effort  to  unhorse  the  rider,  and  con  so. 
queutly  a  vice.  The  horse  that  has  twice  decidedly  and  danger 
ously  reared,  should  never  be  trusted  again,  unless,  indeed,  it  was 
the  fault  of  the  rider,  who  had  been  using  a  deep  curb  and  a 
sharp  bit.  Some  of  the  best  horses  will  contend  against  these 
and  then  rearing  may  be  immediately  and  permanently  cured  by 
using  a  snaffle-bridle  alone. 

The  horse-breaker's  remedy,  that  of  pulling  the  horse  back- 
ward on  a  soft  piece  of  ground,  should  be  practised  by  reckless 
and  brutal  fellows  alone.  Many  horses  have  been  injured  in  the 
spine,  and  others  have  broken  their  necks,  by  being  thus  suddenly 
pulled  over ;  while  even  the  fellow  who  fears  no  danger,  is  not 
always  able  to  extricate  himself  from  the  falling  horse.  If  rear- 
ing proceeds  from  vice,  and  is  unjjrovoked  by  the  bruising  and 
laceration  of  the  mouth,  it  fully  partakes  of  the  inveteracy  which 
attends  the  other  divisions  of  restiveness. 

RUISTNING  AWAY. 

Some  headstrong  horses  will  occasionally  endeavor  to  bolt  with 
the  best  rider.  Others  with  their  wonted  sagacity  endeavor  thus 
to  dislodge  the  timid  or  unskilful  one.  Some  are  hard  to  hold. 
or  bolt  only  during  the  excitement  of  the  chase  ;  others  will  run 
away,  prompted  by  a  vicious  propensity  alone.  There  is  no  cer- 
tain cure  here.  The  method  which  affords  any  probabil- 
ity of  success  is,  to  ride  such  a  horse  with  a  strong  curb  and 
sharp  bit ;  to  have  him  always  firmly  in  hand ;  and,  if  he  will 
run  away,  and  the  place  will  admit  of  it,  to  give  him  (sparing 
neither  curb,  whip,  nor  spur)  a  great  deal  more  rumiing  than  he 
likes. 

VICIOUS  TO  CLEAN. 

It  would  scarcely  be  credited  to  what  an  extent  this  exists  in 
some  horses  that  are  otherwise  perfectly  quiet.  It  is  only  at  great 
hazard  that  they  can  be  cleansed  at  all.  The  origin  of  this  m 
probably  some  maltreatment.  There  is,  however,  a  great  differ- 
ence in  the  sensibility  of  the  skin  in  different  horses.  Some  seem 
as  if  they  could  scarcely  be  made  to  feel  the  whip,  while  others 
cannot  bear  a  fly  to  light  on  them  without  an  expression  of  an- 
noyance. In  young  horses  the  skin  is  peculiarly  delicate.  If 
they  have  been  curried  with  a  broken  comb,  or  hardly  rubbed 
with  an  uneven  brush,  the  recollection  of  the  torture  they  have 
felt  makes  them  impatient,  and  even  vicious,  during  every  suc- 
ceeding operation  of  the  kind.  Many  grooms,  likewise,  seem  to 
delight  in  producmg    these  exhibitions  of  uneasiness  and  vice : 


376  VICIOUS    TO    SHOE. 

although,  when  they  are  carried  a  little  too  far,  and  at  the  liaz 
ard  of  the  limbs  of  the  groom,  the  animals  that  have  been  almost 
tutored  into  these  expressions  of  irritation  are  brutally  kicked  and 
punished. 

This,  however,  is  a  vice  that  may  be  conquered.  If  the  horse 
is  dressed  with  a  lighter  hand,  and  wisped  rather  than  brushed, 
and  the  places  where  the  skin  is  most  sensitive  are  avoided  as 
much  as  thorough  cleanliness  will  allow,  he  will  gradually  lose 
the  recollection  of  former  ill-treatment,  and  become  tractable  and 
quiet.* 

VICIOUS  TO  SHOE. 

The  correction  of  this  is  more  peculiarly  the  business  of  the 
smith ;  yet  the  master  should  diligently  concern  himself  with  it, 
for  it  is  oftener  the  consequence  of  injudicious  or  bae  usage  than 
of  natural  vice.  It  may  be  expected  that  there  will  be  some  dif 
ficulty  in  shoeing  a  horse  for  the  first  few  times.  It  is  an  opera- 
tion that  gives  him  a  little  uneasiness.  The  man  to  whom  he  is 
most  accustomed  should  go  with  him  to  the  forge  ;  and  if  anothei 
and  steady  horse  is  shod  before  him,  he  may  be  induced  more 
readily  to  submit.  It  cannot  be  denied  that,  after  the  habit  of 
resisting  this  necessary  operation  is  formed,  force  may  sometimes 
be  necessary  to  reduce  our  rebellious  servant  to  obedience  ;  but 
we  unhesitatingly  affirm  that  the  majority  of  horses  vicious  to 
shoe  are  rendered  so  by  harsh  usage,  and  by  the  pain  of  correc- 
tion being  added  to  the  uneasiness  of  shoeing.  It  should  be  a 
rule  in  every  forge  that  no  smith  should  be  permitted  to  strike  a 
horse,  much  less  to  twitch  or  to  gag  him,  without  the  master-far- 
rier's order ;  and  that  a  young  horse  should  never  be  twitched  or 
struck.  There  are  few  horses  that  may  not  be  gradually  ren- 
dered manageable  for  this  purpose  by  mildness  and  firmness  in 
the  operator.  They  will  soon  understand  that  no  harm  is  meant, 
and  they  will  not  forget  their  usual  habit  of  obedience  ;  but  if 
the  remembrance  of  corporal  punishment  is  connected  with  shoe- 
ing, they  will  always  be  fidgety,  and  occasionally  dangerous. t 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — In  some  instances  the  skin  is  so  irritable  that 
the  horse  really  endures  a  great  deal  of  misery  ever}'  time  he  is  cleaned, 
besides  expending  a  great  deal  of  muscular  exertion  needlessly.  The  rem- 
edy for  this  is  very  simple ;  instead  of  being  currycombed  and  wiped,  he 
should  be  simply  washed  over  with  warm  water  on  his  coming  in  warm 
from  a  journey,  then  gently  scraped  and  covered  with  a  rug.  The  warmth 
of  the  body  will  very  soon  dry  the  skin. 

f  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — ^This  is  certainly  a  very  bad  vice,  and  one,  in- 
deed, that  very  materially  diminishes  the  value  of  the  horse,  for  it  is  a  habit 
that  generally  gets  worse  at  each  time  of  shoeing,  ft  is  not  so  much  the 
kicking  of  the  horse  that  is  to  be  feared,  but  the  animal  will  bear  his  whole 


SWALLOWING    WITHOUT    GRINDING.  377 


SWALLOWING  WITHOUT  GRINDING. 

Horses  have  many  unpleasant  habits  in  the  stable  and  on  the 
road,  which  cannot  be  said  to  amount  to  vice,  but  which  mate- 
rially lessen  their  value. 

Some  greedy  horses  habitually  swallow  their  grain  without 
properly  grinding  it,  and  the  power  of  digestion  not  being  ade- 
quate to  the  dissolving  of  the  husk,  no  nutriment  is  extracted, 
and  the  oats  are  voided  whole.  This  is  particularly  the  case 
when  horses  of  unequal  appetite  feed  from  the  same  manger. 
The  greedy  one,  in  his  eagerness  to  get  more  then  his  share,  bolts 
a  portion  of  his  grain  whole.  If  the  farmer,  without  considerable 
inconvenience,  could  contrive  that  every  horse  shall  have  his 
separate  division  of  the  manger,  the  one  of  smaller  appetite  and 
slower  feed  would  have  the  opportunity  of  grinding  at  his  leisure, 
without  the  fear  of  the  greater  share  being  stolen  by  his  neigh- 
boi-. 

Some  horses,  however,  are  naturally  greedy  feeders,  and  will 
not,  even  when  alone,  allow  themselves  time  to  chew  or  grind 
their  grain.  In  consequence  of  this  they  carry  but  little  flesh, 
and  are  not  equal  to  severe  work.  If  the  rack  was  supplied  with 
hay  when  the  grain  was  put  into  the  manger,  they  will  continue 
to  eat  on,  and  their  stomachs  will  become  distended  with  half- 
chewed  and  indigestible  food.  In  consequence  of  this  they  v/ill 
be  incapable  of  considerable  exertion  for  a  long  time  after  feed- 
ing, and,  occasionally,  dangerous  symptoms  of  staggers  will 
occur. 

The  remedy  is,  not  to  let  such  horses  fast  too  long.  The  nose- 
bag should  be  the  companion  of  every  considerable  journey. 
The  food  should  likewise  be  of  such  a  nature  that  it  cannot  be 
rapidly  bolted.  Chaff  should  be  plentifully  mixed  with  the  grain, 
and,  in  some  cases,  and  especially  in  horses  of  slow  work,  it  should, 
with  the  grain,  constitute  the  whole  of  the  food.  This  will  be 
treated  on  more  at  large  under  the  article  "Feeding." 

In  every  case  of  this  kind  the  teeth  should  be  carefully  exam- 
ined. Some  of  them  may  be  unduly  lengthened,  particularly  the 
first  of  the  grinders  :  or  they  may  be  ragged  at  the  edges,  and 
may  abrade  and  wound  the  cheek.  In  the  first  place  the  horse 
cannot  properly  masticate  his  food ;  in  the  latter  he  will  not , 

weight  on  the  foot  required  to  be  shod,  so  that  the  smith  is  unable  to  lift  it 
up,  or  afterwards  to  support  it ;  besides  which  the  animal  will  keep  continu 
ally  kicking  or  endeavoring  to  get  the  foot  away,  to  the  imminent  dangei 
of  the  limbs  of  the  unfortunate  operative.  This  deplorable  and  vicious  habit 
is  greatly  increased,  if  not  altogether  produced,  by  rough  usage  at  the  early 
shoeings,  and  it  generally  gets  worse  at  each  time  of  shoeing,  so  that  the 
horse  is  often  rendered  at  last  completely  worthless 


378  CRIB-BITING. 

for  these  animals,  as  too  often  happens  in  sore-throat,  would  rathei 
starve  than  put  themselves  to  much  pain. 

CRIB-BITING. 

This  is  a  very  unpleasant  habit,  and  a  considerable  defect,  al- 
though riot  so  serious  a  one  as  some  have  represented.  The  horse 
lays  hold  of  the  manger  Avith  his  teeth,  violently  extends  his  neck, 
and  then,  after  some  convulsive  action  of  the  throat,  a  slight 
grunting  is  heard,  accompanied  by  a  sucking  or  drawing  in  of 
air.  It  is  not  an  eflbrt  at  simple  eructation,  arising  from  indiges- 
tion. It  is  the  inhalation  of  air.  It  is  that  which  takes  place 
with  all  kinds  of  diet,  and  when  the  stomach  is  empty  as  well  as 
when  it  is  full. 

The  effects  of  crib-biting  are  plain  enough.  The  teeth  are  in- 
jured and  worn  away,  and  that,  in  an  old  horse,  to  a  very  serious 
degree.  A  considerable  quantity  of  grain  is  often  lost,  for  the 
horse  will  frequently  crib  with  his  mouth  full  of  it,  and  the 
greater  part  will  fall  over  the  edge  of  the  manger.  Much 
saliva  escapes  while  the  manger  is  thus  forcibly  held,  the  loss  of 
which  must  be  of  serious  detriment  in  impairing  the  digestion. 
The  crib-biting  horse  is  notoriously  more  subject  to  colic  than 
other  horses,  and  to  a  species  difficult  of  treatment  and  frequently 
dangerous.  Although  many  a  crib-biter  is  stout  and  strong,  and 
capable  of  all  ordinary  work,  these  horses  do  not  generally  carry 
so  much  flesh  as  others,  and  have  not  their  endurance.  On  these 
accounts  crib-biting  has  very  properly  been  decided  to  be  un- 
soundness We  must  not  look  to  the  state  of  the  disease  at  the 
time  of  purchase.  The  question  is,  does  it  exist  at  all  ?  A  case 
was  tried  before  Lord  Tenterden,  and  thus  decided  ;  "a  horse 
with  crib-biting  is  unsound." 

It  is  one  of  those  tricks  which  are  exceedingly  contagious. 
Every  companion  of  a  crib-biter  in  the  same  stables  is  likely  to 
acquire  the  habit,  and  it  is  the  most  inveterate  of  all  habits. 
The  edge  of  the  manger  will  in  vain  be  lined  with  iron,  or  with 
sheej)-skin,  or  with  sheep-skin  covered  with  tar  or  aloes,  or 
any  other  unpleasant  substance.  In  defiance  of  the  annoyance 
which  these  may  occasion,  the  horse  will  persist  in  the  attack  on 
his  manger.  A  strap  buckled  tightly  round  the  neck,  by  compress- 
ing the  wind-pipe,  is  the  best  means  of  preventing  the  possibility 
of  this  trick  ;  but  the  strap  must  be  constantly  worn,  and  its 
pressure  is  too  apt  to  produce  a  worse  affection,  viz.,  an  irritation 
ai  the  windpipe,  which  terminates  in  roaring. 

Some  have  recommended  turning  out  for  five  or  six  months  ; 
but  this  has  never  succeeded  except  with  a  young  horse,  and  then 
rarely.     The  old  crib-biter  will  employ  the  gate  for  the  same 


WIND-SUCKING CUTTING.  379 

/ 

purpose  as  the  edpe  of  his  manger,  and  we  have  often  seen  him 
galloping-  across  a  field  lor  the  mere  object  of  having  a  gripe  at 
a  rail.     Medicine  will  be  altogether  thrown  away  in  this  case. 

The  only  remedy  is  a  muzzle,  with  bars  across  the  bottom  ; 
sufficiently  wide  to  enable  the  animal  to  pick  up  his  corn  and  to 
pull  his  hay,  but  not  to  grasp  the  edge  of  the  manger.  If  this  is 
worn  for  a  considerable  period,  the  horse  may  be  tired  of  attempt- 
ing that  which  he  cannot  accomplish,  and  for  a  while  forget  the 
habit,  but  in  a  majority  of  cases,  the  desire  of  crib-biting  will  re 
turn  with  the  power  of  gratifying  it. 

The  causes  of  crib-biting  are  various,  and  some  of  them  beyond 
the  control  of  the  proprietor  of  the  horse.  It  is  often  the  result 
of  imitation ;  but  it  is  more  frequently  the  consequence  of  idle- 
ness. The  high-fed  and  spirited  horse  must  be  in  mischief  if  he 
is  not  usefully  employed.  Sometimes,  but  we  believe  not  often, 
it  is  produced  by  partial  starvation,  whether  in  a  bad  straw-yard, 
or  from  unpalatable  food.  An  occasional  cause  of  crib-biting  is 
the  frequent  custom  of  grooms,  even  when  the  weather  is  not 
severe,  of  dressing  them  in  the  stable.  The  horse  either  catches 
at  the  edge  of  the  manger,  or  at  that  of  the  partition  on  each 
side,  if  he  has  been  turned,  and  thus  he  forms  the  habit  of  laying 
hold  of  these  substances  on  every  occasion. 


WIND-SUCK1N"G. 

This  bears  a  close  analogy  to  crib-biting.  It  arises  from  the 
same  causes  ;  the  same  purpose  is  accomplished ;  and  the  same 
results  follow.  The  horse  stands  with  his  neck  bent ;  his  head 
drawn  inward  ;  his  lips  alternately  a  little  opened  and  then 
closed,  and  a  noise  is  heard  as  if  he  were  sucking.  If  we  may 
judge  from  the  same  comparative  want  of  condition  and  the  flat- 
ulence which  we  have  described  under  the  last  head,  either  some 
portion  of  wind  enters  the  stomach,  or  there  is  an  injurious  loss 
of  saliva.  This  diminishes  the  value  of  the  horse  almost  as  much 
as  crib-biting ;  it  is  as  contagious,  and  it  is  as  inveterate.  The 
only  remedies,  and  they  will  seldom  avail,  are  tying  the  head  up, 
except  when  the  horse  is  feeding,  or  putting  on  a  muzzle  with 
sharp  spikes  towards  the  neck,  and  which  will  prick  him  when- 
ever he  attempts  to  rein  his  head  in  for  the  purpose  of  wind- 
sucking, 

CUTTING. 

Of  this  habit,  mention  has  been  made  at  page  266  ;  and  we 
would  advise  the  owner  of  a  cutting  horse,  without  trying  any 
previous  experiments  of  raising  or  lowering  the  heels,  to  put  on 


380  NOT    LYING    DOWN OVERREACH PAWING. 

the  cutting  foot  a  shoe  of  even  thickness  from  heel  to  toe,  not  pro 
jectins:  ID  the  shghtest  degree  be5^ond  the  crust,  and  the  crust  it 
self" being  rasped  a  little  at  the  quarters.  The  shoe  should  be  fas- 
tened as  usual,  on  the  outside,  but  with  only  one  nail  on  the  in 
side,  and  that  almost  close  to  the  toe.  The  principle  on  which 
this  shoe  acts,  has  been  explained  at  page  350 

N^OT  LYING  DOWN. 

It  not  uncommonly  happens  that  a  horse  will  seldom  or  never 
lie  down  in  the  stable.  He  sometimes  continues  in  apparent 
good  health,  and  feeds  and  works  well  ;  but  generally  his  legs 
swell,  or  he  becomes  fatigued  sooner  than  another  horse.  If  it 
is  impossible  to  let  him  loose  in  the  saddle,  or  to  put  him  into  a 
spare  box,  we  know  not  what  is  to  be  done.  No  means,  gentle  or 
cruel,  will  force  him  to  lie  down.  The  secret  is  that  he  is  tied 
up,  and  either  has  never  dared  to  lie  down  through  fear  of  the 
confinement  of  the  halter,  or  he  has  been  cast  in  the  night  and 
severely  injured.  If  he  can  be  suffered  to  range  the  stable,  or 
have  a  comfortable  box  in  which  he  may  be  loose,  he  will  usually 
lie  down  the  first  night.  Some  few  horses,  however,  will  lie 
down  in  the  stable,  and  not  in  a  loose  box.  A  fresh,  well  made 
bed,  will  generally  tempt  the  tired  horse  to  refresh  himself  with 
sleep.* 

OVERREACH. 

This  unpleasant  noise,  known  also  by  the  term  "clicking," 
arises  from  the  toe  of  the  hind-foot  knocking  against  the  shoe  of 
the  fore-foot.  The  consequences  of  it,  and  the  treatment  of  the 
wounds  resulting  from  it,  have  been  sufficently  given  on  page  320 

If  the  animal  is  young,  the  action  of  the  horse  may  be  materi- 
ally improved  ;  otherwise  nothing  can  be  done,  except  to  keep  the 
toe  of  the  hind  foot  as  short  and  as  round  as  it  can  safely  be,  and 
to  bevel  off  and  round  the  toe  of  the  shoe,  like  that  which  has 
been  worn  off  by  a  stumbling  horse,  and  perhaps,  to  lower  the 
heel  of  the  fore-foot  a  little. 

PAWING. 

Some  hot  and  irritable  horses  are  restless  even  in  the  stable, 
and  paw  frequently  and  violently.     Their  litter  is  destroyed,  the 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  the  basis  of  sup- 
port afforded  by  the  four  extremities  is  so  considerable  in  the  horse,  that  he 
is  able  to  sleep  in  a  standing  position,  and  we  have  known  some  horses  pre- 
serve their  health,  strength,  and  condition,  although  they  have  never  been 
Known  to  lie  down.  At  the  same  time,  it  must  be  confessed  that  an  anima! 
that  will  quietly  lie  down  and  take  his  rest,  generally  preserves  his  condi 
tion,  and  is  better  fitted  for  exertion. 


QUIDDING ROLLING SHYING.  381 

floor  of  the  stable  broken  up,  the  shoes  worn  out,  the  feet  bruised, 
and  the  legs  sometimes  sprained.  If  this  habit  does  not  exist  to 
any  great  extent,  yet  the  stable  never  looks  well.  Shackles  are 
the  only  remedy,  with  a  chain  sufficiently  long  to  enable  the  horse 
to  shift  his  posture,  or  move  in  his  stall ;  but  these  must  be  taken 
off  at  night,  otherwise  the  animal  will  seldom  lie  down.  Ex- 
cept, however,  the  horse  possesses  peculiar  value,  it  will  be  better 
to  dispose  of  him  at  once,  than  to  submit  to  the  danger  and  incon- 
venience that  he  may  occasion. 

QUIDDING. 

A  horse  will  sometimes  partly  chew  his  hay,  and  suffer  it  to 
drop  from  his  mouth.  If  this  does  not  proceed  from  irregular 
teeth,  which  it  will  be  the  business  of  the  veterinary  surgeon  to 
rasp  down,  it  will  be  found  to  be  connected  with  sore-throat,  and 
then  the  horse, will  exhibit  some  other  symptoms  of  indisposition, 
and  particularly,  the  swallowing  of  water  will  be  accompanied  by 
a  peculiar  gulping  effort.  In  this  case,  the  disease  (catarrh,  with 
Bore-throat)  must  be  attacked,  and  the  quidding  will  cease. 

ROLLING. 

This  is  a  very  pleasant  and  perfectly  safe  amusement  for  a 
horse  at  grass,  but  cannot  be  indulged  in  the  stable  without  the 
chance  of  his  being  dangerously  entangled  with  the  collar-rein 
(halter)  and  being  cast.  Yet,  although  the  horse  is  cast,  and 
bruised,  and  hali-strangled,  he  will  roll  again  on  the  following 
night  and  continue  to  do  so  as  long  as  he  lives.  The  only  remedy 
is  not  a  very  pleasant  one  lor  the  horse,  nor  always  quite  safe  ; 
yet  it  must  be  had  recourse  to,  if  the  habit  of  rolling  is  inveter- 
ate. "  The  horse,"  says  Mr.  Castley,  "  should  be  tied  with  length 
enough  of  halter  to  lie  down,  but  not  to  allow  of  his  head  resting 
on  the  ground ;  because,  in  order  to  roll  over,  a  horse  is  obliged 
to  place  his  head  quite  down  upon  the  ground."  * 

SHYING. 

We  have  briefly  treated  of  the  cause  of  this  vice  at  page  66, 
and  observed  that  while  it  is  often  the  result  of  cowardice,  or 
playfulness,  or  want  of  work,  it  is  at  other  times  the  consequence 
of  a  defect  of  sight.  It  has  been  remarked,  and  we  believe  very 
truly,  that  shying  is  oftener  a  vice  of  half  or  quarter-bred  horses, 
than  of  those  who  have  in  them  more  of  the  genuine  racing  blood. 

In  the  tieatment  of  shying,  is  it  of  great  importance  to  distin- 
guish between  that  which  is  the  consequence  of  defective  sight. 


382  SHYING. 

and  wliat  results  from  fear,  or  newness  of  objects,  or  mere  affec- 
tation  or  skittishness.  For  the  first,  the  nature  of  which  we  have 
explained  at  page  66,  every  allowance  must  be  made,  and  care 
must  be  taken  that  the  fear  of  correction  is  not  associated  with  the 
imagined  existence  of  some  terrifying  object.  The  severe  use  of 
the  whip  and  the  spur  cannot  do  good  here,  and  are  likely  to  ag- 
gravate the  vice  ten-fold.  A  word  half  encouraging  and  half 
scolding,  with  a  slight  pressure  of  the  heel,  or  a  slight  touch  of 
the  spur,  will  tell  the  horse  that  there  was  nothing  to  fear,  and 
will  give  him  confidence  in  his  rider  on  a  future  occasion. 

The  shying  from  skittishness  or  affectation  is  quite  a  different 
affair,  and  must  be  conquered  :  but  how  ?  Severity  is  altogether 
out  of  place.  If  he  is  forced  into  contact  with  the  object  by  dint 
of  correction,  the  dread  of  punishment  will  afterwards  be  associ- 
ated with  that  object,  and,  on  the  next  occasion,  his  startings  will 
be  more  frequent  and  more  dangerous.  The  way  to  cure  him  is 
to  go  on,  turning  as  little  as  possible  out  of  the  road,  giving  a 
harsh  word  or  two,  and  a  gentle  touch  with  the  spur,  and  then 
taking  no  more  notice  of  the  matter.  After  a  few  times,  what- 
ever may  have  been  the  object  which  he  chose  to  select  as  the 
pretended  cause  of  aflright,  he  will  pass  it  almost  without  notice. 

In  page  243,  under  the  head  "breaking  in,"  we  described  how 
the  colt  may  be  cured  of  the  habit  of  shying  from  fear  or  newness 
of  objects-;  and,  if  he  then  is  accustomed  as  much  as  possible  to 
the  objects  among  which  his  services  will  be  required,  he  will  not 
possess  this  annoying  vice  when  he  grows  to  maturer  age. 

It  is  now  generally  admitted  by  all  riding-masters  and  colt- 
breakers,  that  a  great  deal  more  is  to  be  effected  by  lenient  than 
by  harsh  treatment.  Rewards  are  found  to  operate  more  benefi- 
cially than  punishments ;  and  therefore  the  most  scientific  and 
practised  riding-masters  adopt  methods  based  upon  the  former. 

Let  us  not  be  understood  to  mean  that  the  animal  is  to  receive 
any  encouragement  to  shy  ;  for  by  no  other  expression  can  be 
characterized  that  erroneous  and  foolish  practice  of  patting  the 
horse,  or  "making  much  of  him,"  either  just  before  or  during  the 
time  he  evinces  shyness.  The  former  is  bad,  because  it  draws  the 
attention  of  the  animal  to  the  object  he  dreads  ;  the  latter  if 
worse,  because  it  fills  him  with  the  impression  either  that  the  ob- 
ject itself  is  really  terrific,  or  that  he  has  acted  right  in  shying  at 
it,  and  ought  to  do  so  again. 

Whether  we  are  approaching  the  frightful  object,  or  the  horse 
is  actually  shying,  "  we  should  let  him  alone" — "  we  should  take 
no  notice  whatever  of  him" — neither  letting  him  perceive  that 
we  are  aware  that  we  are  advancing  towards  anything  he  dis- 
likes ;  nor  do  more  Avith  him,  while  in  the  act  of  shying,  than  is 
necessary  for  due  restraint  with  a  steady  hand  upon  the  rein.     We 


SLIPPING    THE    HALTEB,  383 

may  depend  upon  it,  tliat  battling  on  our  part  will  only  serve  to 
augment  affright  and  arouse  resistance  on  his,  and  that  the  most 
judicious  course  we  can  pursue  is  to  persevere  in  mild  forbearant 
usage. 

Skying  on  coming  out  of  the  stable  is  a  habit  that  can  rarely 
or  never  be  cured.  It  proceeds  from  the  remembrance  of  some 
ill-usage  or  hurt  which  the  animal  has  received  in  the  act  of  pro- 
ceeding from  the  stable,  such  as  striking  his  head  against  a  low 
-door- way,  or  entangling  the  harness. 

When  the  cure,  however,  is  early  attempted,  it  may  be  so  far 
overcome  that  it  will  be  unattended  with  danger  or  difficulty. 
The  horse  should  be  bridled  when  led  out  or  in.  He  should  be 
held  short  and  tight  by  the  head,  that  he  may  feel  he  has  not  lib- 
erty to  make  a  leap,  and  this  of  itself  is  often  sufficient  to  restrain 
him.  Punishment,  or  a  threat  of  punishment,  Vv^ill  be  highly  im- 
proper. It  is  only  timid  or  high-spirited  horses  that  acquire  this 
habit,  and  rough  usage  invariably  increases  their  agitation  and 
terror.  =^ 

SLIPPING  THE  COLLAR  OR,  HALTER. 

This  is  a  trick  at  which  many  horses  are  so  clever,  that  scarcely 
a  night  passes  without  their  getting  loose.  It  is  a  very  serious 
habit,  for  it  enables  the  horse  sometimes  to  gorge  himself  with 
food,  to  the  imminent  danger  of  staggers  ;  or  it  exposes  him,  as  he 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooncr. — This  %dce  or  habit — for  it  ranges  between  the 
one  and  the  other — exists  in  every  variety  of  degree.  There  are  more  horses 
that  shy  than  do  not:  when  the  practice  exists  in  a  shght  degree,  it  is  a  mat- 
ter of  no  consequence,  but  when  the  animal,  instead  of  merely  looking  at  the 
object  of  alarm  and  dwelling  a  little  in  his  pace  as  he  approaches  it,  stops 
suddenly,  or  turns  round,  or  swerves  considerably,  the  habit  becomes  a  dan- 
gerous vice,  and  is  exceedingly  objectionable.  There  is  more  affectation 
than  real  fear  about  this  habit,  the  horse  making  use  of  every  unusual  ob- 
ject as  an  excuse  for  the  indulgence  of  his  skittishness,  or  his  obstinacy. 
There  are  often  some  strange  eccentricities  connected  with  it.  Horses  will 
often  pass  a  frightful  object  without  the  least  fear ;  but  if,  perchance,  there 
is  a  puddle  in  the  road,  or  a  stick  of  tiuiber  lying  beside  it,  imagination  ap- 
pears to  paint  the  object  in  the  most  hideous  colors  or  portentous  forms. 
Horses  shy  most  in  the  country,  where  there  are  but  few  objects  to  meet ; 
and  they  rarely  exhibit  this  propensity  in  the  crowded  streets  of  the  metro- 
polis. The  objects  are  there  far  too  numerous  to  allow  an  excuse  for  shying, 
or  would  soon  weary  them  of  the  habit ;  indeed  tl  e  very  best  method  of 
curing  the  vice  is  to  use  the  animal  in  crowded  streets.  Though  shying  is 
often  connected  with  impei'fect  vision,  it  is  I'arely  produced  by  actual  disease, 
and,  therefore,  its  existence  does  not  augur  unsound  eyes.  Too  great  con- 
vexity of  the  eye  is  certainly  often  connected  with  shying,  so  that  objects  are 
refracted  too  quickly,  and  thus  are  imperfectly  painted  on  the  retina. 

Shying  horses  are  frequently  made  much  worse  by  rough  usage ;  instead 
of  which  they  should  always  be  treated  with  gentleness  and  firmncPB,  which 
eystem,  in  many  iLstances,  wiU  succeed  in  effecting  a  cure. 


384  TRIPPING WEAVING. 

wanders  about,  to  be  kicked  and  injured  by  the  other  horses,  wliile 
his  restlessness  will  often  keep  the  whole  team  awake.  If  the  web 
of  the  halter,  being  first  accurately  fitted  to  his  neck,  is  suflered 
to  slip  only  one  way,  or  a  strap  is  attached  to  the  halter  and 
buckled  round  the  neck,  but  not  sufficiently  tight  to  be  of  serious 
inconvenience,  the  power  of  slipping  the  collar  will  be  taken 
away. 

TRIPPING. 

He  must  be  a  skilful  practitioner  or  a  mere  pretender  who 
promises  to  remedy  this  habit.  If  it  arises  from  a  heavy  fore-hand, 
and  the  fore-legs  being  too  much  under  the  horse,  no  one  can  al- 
ter  the  natural  frame  of  the  animal :  if  it  proceeds  from  tender- 
ness of  the  foot,  grogginess,  or  old  lameness,  these  ailments  are 
seldom  cured.  Also  if  it  is  to  be  traced  to  habitual  carelessness 
and  idleness,  no  whipping  will  rouse  the  drone.  A  known  stum- 
bler  should  never  be  ridden,  or  driven  by  any  one  who  values  his 
safety  or  his  life.  A  tight  hand  or  a  strong-bearing  rein  are  pre- 
cautions that  should  not  be  neglected,  although  they  are  generally 
of  little  avail ;  for  the  inveterate  stumbler  will  rarely  be  able  to 
save,  himself,  and  this  tight  rein  may  sooner  and  farther  precipi- 
tate the  rider.  If,  after  a  trip,  the  horse  suddenly  starts  forward, 
and  endeavors  to  break  into  a  short  trot  or  canter,  the  rider  or 
driver  may  be  assured  that  others  before  him  have  fruitlessly  en- 
deavored to  remedy  the  nuisance. 

If  the  stumbler  has  the  foot  kept  as  short,  and  the  toe  pared  as 
close  as  safety  will  permit,  and  the  shoe  is  rounded  at  the  toe,  or 
has  that  shape  given  to  it  which  it  naturally  acquires  in  a  fort- 
night from  the  peculiar  action  of  such  a  horse,  the  animal  may 
not  stumble  quite  so  much  ;  or  if  the  disease  which  produced  the 
habit  can  be  alleviated,  some  trifling  good  may  be  done,  but  in 
almost  every  case  a  stumbler  should  be  got  rid  of,  or  put  to  slow 
and  heavy  work.  If  the  latter  alternative  is  adopted,  he  may  trip 
as  m.uch  as  he  pleases,  for  the  weight  of  the  load  and  the  motion 
of  the  other  horses  will  keep  him  upon  his  legs. 

WEAVING 

This  consists  in  a  motion  of  the  head,  neck,  and  body,  from  side 
to  side,  like  the  shuttle  of  a  weaver  passing  through  the  web,  and 
hence  the  name  which  is  given  to  this  peculiar,  and  incessant,  and 
unpleasant  action.  It  indicates  an  impatient,  irritable  temper, 
and  a  disliite  to  the  confinement  of  the  stable.  A  horse  that  is 
thus  incessantly  on  the  fret  will  seldom  carry  flesh,  or  be  safe  to 
ride  or  drive.  There  is  no  cure  for  it,  but  the  close  tying-up  of 
the  animal,  or  at  least  allowing  him  but  one  loose  rein,  except  a*, 
feeding-time. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


THE  GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  HORSE. 

This  is  a  most  important  part  of  our  subject,  even  as  it  re- 
gards the  farmer,  although  there  are  comparatively  few  glaring 
errors  in  the  treatment  of  the  agricultural  horse  ;  but  it  comes 
more  especially  home  to  the  gentleman,  who  is  too  often,  and 
too  implicitly,  under  the  guidance  of  an  idle,  and  ignorant,  and 
designing  groom. 

We  will  arrange  the  most  important  points  of  general  man- 
agement under  the  following  heads  : — 

AIR. 

The  breathing  of  pure  air  is  necessary  to  the  existence  and 
the  health  of  man  and  beast.  It  is  comparatively  lately  that 
this  has  been  admitted  even  in  the  management  of  our  best  sta- 
bles. They  have  been  close,  and  hot,  and  foul,  instead  of  airy, 
and  cool,  and  wholesome. 

•  The  stable  should  be  as  large,  compared  with  the  number  of 
horses  that  it  is  destined  to  contain,  as  circumstances  will  allow. 
A  stable  for  six  horses  should  not  be  less  than  forty  feet  in  length, 
and  thirteen  or  fourteen  feet  wide.^  If  there  is  no  loft  above,  the 
inside  of  the  roof  should  always  be  plastered  in  order  to  prevent 
direct  currents  of  air  and  occasional  droppings  from  broken  tiles. 
The  heated  and  foul  air  should  escape,  and  cool  and  pure  air  be 
admitted,  by  elevation  of  the  central  tiles  ;  or  by  large  tubes  car- 
ried through  the  roof,  with  caps  a  little  above  them,  to  prevent 
the  beating  in  of  the  rain  ;  or  by  gratings  placed  high  up  in  th<f 
walls.  These  latter  apertures  should  be  as  far  above  the  horses 
as  they  can  conveniently  be  placed,  by  which  means  all  injuri- 
ous draught  will  be  prevented. 

If  there  is  a  loft  above  the  stable,  the  ceiling  should  be  plas- 
tered, in  order  to  prevent  the  foul  air  from  penetrating  to  the 
hay  above,  and  injuring  both  its  taste  and  its  wholesomeness ; 

*  It  will  be  borne  in  mind   that  the  iiuthor  is    speaking  of  the  clos4» 
itone  or  brick  stables  of  England, — Am.  Ed. 
25  Q 


dS6  AIR. 

and  no  openings  should  be  allowed  above  the  racks,  through 
which  the  hay  may  be  thrown  into  them  ;  for  they  will  permit 
the  foul  air  to  ascend  to  the  provender,  and  also  in  the  act  of 
filling  the  rack,  and  while  the  horse  is  eagerly  gazing  upward 
for  his  food,  a  grass  seed  may  fall  into  the  eye,  and  produce  con- 
siderable infiammation.  At  other  times,  when  the  careless  groom 
has  left  open  the  trap-door,  a  stream  of  cold  air  beats  down  on 
the  head  of  the  horse. 

The  stable  with  a  loft  over  it  should  never  be  less  than  twelve 
feet  high,  and  proper  ventilation  should  be  secured,  either  -by 
tubes  carried  through  the  roof,  or  by  gratings  close  to  the  ceil- 
ing. These  gratings  or  openings  should  be  enlarged  or  con- 
tracted by  means  of  a  covering  or  shutter,  so  that  spring,  sum- 
mer, and  autumn,  the  stable  may  possess  nearly  the  same  tem- 
perature with  the  open  air,  and  in  winter  a  temperature  of  net 
more  than  ten  degrees  above  that  of  the  external  atmosphere. 

A  hot  stable  has,  in  the  mind  of  the  groom,  been  long  connected 
with  a  glossy  coat.  The  latter,  it  is  thought,  cannot  be  obtained 
without  tlie  Ibrmer. 

To  this  we  should  reply,  that  in  winter  a  thin,  glossy  coat  is 
not  desirable.  Nature  gives  to  every  animal  a  warmer  clothing 
when  the  cold  weather  approaches.  The  horse — the  agricul- 
tural horse  especially — acquires  a  thicker  and  a  lengthened  coat, 
in  order  to  defend  him  from  the  surrounding  cold.  Man  puts 
on  an  additional  and  a  warmer  covering,  and  his  comfort  is  in- 
creased and  his  health  preserved  by  it.  He  who  knows  any- 
thing of  the  farmer's  horse,  or  cares  about  his  enjoyment,  will 
not  object  to  a  coat  a  little  longer,  and  a  little  roughened  when 
the  wintry  wind  blows  bleak.  The  coat,  however,  needs  not  to  b^ 
So  long  as  to  be  unsightly ;  and  warm  clothing,  even  in  a  cool  stable, 
will,  with  plenty  of  honest  grooming,  keep  the  hair  sufficiently 
smooth  an'^  giossy  to  satisfy  the  most  fastidious.  The  over-heated 
air  of  a  io»e  stable  saves  much  of  this  grooming,  and  therefore 
the  id^  attendant  unscrupulously  sacrifices  the  health  and  safety 
of  ^  e  horse.  When  we  have  presently  to  treat  of  the  hair 
ail  I  skin  of  the  horse,  this  will  be  placed  in  a  somiewhat  diirerent 
point  of  view. 

If  the  stable  is  close,  the  air  will  not  only  be  hot,  but  foul. 
The  breathing  of  every  animal  contaminates  it  ;  and  when, 
in  the  course  of  the  night,  with  every  aperture  stopped,  it  passes 
again  and  again  through  the  lungs,  the  blood  cannot  undergo  its 
proper  and  healthy  change  ;  digestion  will  not  be  so  perfectly  per- 
formed, and  all  tlie  functions  of  life  are  injured.  Let  the  owner 
of  a  valuable  horse  think  of  his  passing  twenty  or  tvveiity-two 
out  of  the  twenty-four  hours  in  this  debilitating  atmosphere  ! 
Nature  does  wonders  in  enabling  every  animal  to  accommodate 


AIR— L- ITER.  387 

itself  to  the  situation  in  which  it  is  placed,  and  the  horse  that 
lives  in  the  stable-oven  suffers  less  from  it  than  w^ould  scarcely 
be  conceived  possible  ;  but  he  does  not,  and  cannot,  possess  the 
power  and  the  hardihood  which  he  would  acquire  under  other 
circumstances. 

The  air  oi'  the  improperly  close  and  heated  stable  is  still  fur- 
ther contaminated  by  the  urine  and  dung,  which  rapidly  ferment 
there,  and  give  out  stimulating  and  unwholesome  vapors.  When 
a  person  first  enters  an  ill-managed  stable,  and  especially  early] 
hi  the  morning,  he  is  annoyed,  not  only  by  the  heat  of  the  con- 
fined air,  but  by  a  pungent  smell,  resembling  hartshorn  ;  and  can 
he  be  surprised  at  the  inflammation  of  the  eyes,  and  the  chronic 
cough,  and  the  disease  of  the  lungs,  by  which  the  animal,  who 
has  been  all  night  shut  up  in  this  vitiated  atmosphere,  is  often 
attacked  ;  or  if  glanders  and  farcy  should  occasionally  break  out 
m  such  stables  ?  It  has  been  ascertained  by  chemical  experi- 
ment that  the  urine  of  the  horse  contains  in  it  an  exceedingly 
large  quantity  of  hartshorn  ;  'and  not  only  so,  but  that,  influenced 
by  the  heat  of  a  crowded  stable,  and  possibly  by  other  decompo- 
sitions that  are  going  forward  at  the  same  time,  this  ammoniacal 
vapor  begins  to  be  rapidly  given  out  almost  immediately  after 
the  urine  is  voided. 

When  disease  begins  to  appear  among  the  inhabitants  of  these 
ill-ventilated  places,  is  it  wonderful  that  it  should  rapidly  spread 
among  them,  and,  that  the  plague-spot  should  be,  as  it  were, 
placed  on  the  door  of  such  a  stable  ?  When  distemper  appears 
in  spring  or  in  autumn,  it  is  in  very  many  cases  to  be  traced  to 
such  a  pest-house.  It  is  peculiarly  fatal  there.  The  horses  be- 
longing to  a  small  establishment,  and  rationally  treated,  have  it 
comparatively  seldom,  or  have  it  lightly  ;  but  among  the  inmates 
of  a  crowded  stable  it  is  sure  to  display  itself,  and  there  it  is  most 
fatal.  The  experience  of  every  veterinary  surgeon,  and  of  every 
large  proprietor  of  horses,  will  corroborate  this  statement. 

Every  stable  should  possess  within  itself"  a  certain  degree  of 
ventilation.  The  cost  of  this  would  be  trifling,  and  its  saving  in 
the  preservation  of  valuable  animals  may  be  immense.  The 
apertures  need  not  be  large,  and  the  whole  may  be  so  contrived 
that  no  direct  current  of  air  shall  fall  on  the  horse. 

A  gentleman's  stable  should  never  be  without  a  thermometer. 
The  temperature  should  seldom  exceed  70^  in  the  summer,  or  sink 
below  40    or  50 '  in  the  winter. 

LITTER. 

Having  spoken  of  the  vapor  of  hartshorn,  which  is  so  rapidly 
and  so  nientil'ully  given  out  Ironi  the  urine  of  a  horse  in  a  heated 


388  LIGHT. 

stable,  we  next  take  into  consideration  the  subject  of  litter.  The 
first  caution  is  frequently  to  remove  it.  The  early  extrication  of 
gas  shows  the  rapid  putrefaction  of  the  urine  ;  and  the  conse- 
quence of  which  will  be  the  rapid  putrefaction  of  the  litter  that 
has  been  moistened  by  it.  Everything  hastening  to  decomposition 
should  be  carefully  removed  where  life  and  health  are  to  be  pre- 
served. The  litter  that  has  been  much  wetted  or  at  all  softened 
oy  the  urine,  and  is  beginning  to  decay,  should  be  swept  away 
every  morning ;  the  greater  part  of  the  remainder  may  then  be 
piled  under  the  manger  ;  a  little  being  left  to  prevent  the  painful 
and  injurious  pressure  of  the  feet  on  the  hard  pavement  during 
the  day.  The  soiled  and  soaked  portion  of  that  whicii  was  left 
should  be  removed  at  night.  In  the  better  kind  of  stables,  how- 
ever, the  stalls  should  be  completely  emptied  every  morning. 

No  heap  of  fermenthig  dung  should  be  suffered  to  remain  dur- 
ing the  day  in  the  corner  or  in  any  part  of  tiie  stable.  With  re- 
gard to  tins,  the  directions  of  the  master  should  be  peremptory. 

The  stable  should  be  so  contrived  that  the  urine  shall  quickly 
run  off,  and  the  offensive  and  injurious  vapor  from  the  decom- 
posing fluid  and  the  litter  will  thus  be  materially  lessened,  but  if 
this  is  effected  by  means  of  gutters  and  a  descending  floor,  the 
descent  must  be  barely  sufficient  to  cause  the  fluid  to  escape,  as 
if  the  toes  are  kept  higher  than  the  heels,  it  will  lead  to  lame- 
ness, and  is  also  a  frequent  cause  of  contraction  of  the  foot.  Stalls 
of  this  kind  certainly  do  best  for  mares ;  but  for  horses  we  much 
prefer  those  with  a  grating  in  the  centre,  and  a  slight  inclination 
of  the  floor  on  every  side  towards  the  middle.  A  short  branch 
may  communicate  with  a  larger  drain,  by  means  of  which  the 
urine  may  be  carried  oft^  to  a  reservoir  outside  the  stable.  Traps 
are  now  contrived,  and  may  be  procured  at  little  expense,  by 
means  of  which  neither  any  offensive  smell  nor  current  of  air  can 
pass  through  the  grating. 

Humanity  and  interest,  as  well  as  the  appearance  of  the  stable, 
should  induce  the  proprietor  of  the  horse  to  place  a  moderate 
quantity  of  litter  under  him  during  the  day.^ 

LIGHT. 

This  neglected  branch  of  stable-management  is  of  far  more 
consequence  than  is  generally  imagined  ;  and  it  is  particularly 
neglected  by  those  for  whom  these  treatises  are  principally  de- 
signed. The  farmer's  stable  is  frequently  destitute  of  any  glazed 
window,  and  has  only  a  shutter,  which  is  raised  in  warm  weather, 
and  closed  when  the  weather  becomes  cold.     When  the  horse  is 

*  It  will  be  remembered  the  author  is  speaking  of  paved  floors. — Am.  Ed. 


GROOMING.  389 

in  the  stable  only  during  a  few  hours  in  the  day,  this  is  not  of  so 
much  consequence,  nor  of  so  much,  probably,  with  regard  to  horses 
of  slow  work ;  but  to  carriage-horses  and  hackneys,  so  far,  at  least, 
as  the  eyes  are  concerned,  a  dark  stable  is  little  less  injurious  thaA 
a  foul  and  heated  one.  In  order  to  illustrate  this,  relerence  may 
be  made  to  the  unpleasant  feeling,  and  the  utter  impossibility  of 
seeing  distinctly,  when  a  man  suddenly  emerges  from  a  dark  place 
into  the  full  blaze  of  day.  The  sensation  of  mingled  pain  and 
giddiness  is  not  soon  forgotten ;  and  some  minutes  pass  before  the 
eye  can  accommodate  itself  to  the  increased  light.  If  this  were 
to  happen  every  day,  or  several  times  in  the  day,  the  sight  would 
be  irreparably  injured,  or  possibly  blindness  would  ensue.  Can 
we  wonder,  then,  that  the  horse,  taken  irom  a  dark  stable  into  a 
glare  of  light,  feeling,  probably,  as  we  should  do  under  similar 
circumstances,  and  unable  for  a  considerable  time  to  see  anything 
around  him  distinctly,  should  become  a  starter,  or  that  the  fre 
quently  repeated  violent  effect  of  sudden  light  should  induce  in- 
flammation of  the  eye  so  intense  as  to  terminate  in  blindness  ? 
There  is,  indeed,  no  doubt  that  horses  kept  in  dark  stables  are 
frequently  notorious  starters,  and  that  abominable  habit  has  been 
properly  traced  to  this  cause. 

If  plenty  of  light  is  admitted,  the  walls  of  the  stable,  and  es- 
pecially that  portion  of  them  which  is  before  the  horse's  head, 
must  not  be  of  too  glaring  a  color.  The  color  of  the  stable  should 
depend  on  the  quantity  of  light.  Where  much  can  be  admitted, 
the  walls  should  be  of  a  gray  hue.  Where  darkness  would  other- 
wise prevail,  frequent  whitewashing  may  in  some  degree  dissipate 
the  gloom. 

For  another  reason,  it  will  be  evident  that  the  stable  should  not 
possess  too  glaring  a  light :  it  is  the  resting-place  of  the  horse. 
The  work  of  the  farmer's  horse,  indeed,  is  confined  principally  to 
the  day.  The  hour  of  exertion  having  passed,  the  animal  returns 
to  his  stable  to  feed  and  to  repose,  and  the  latter  is  as  necessary 
as  the  former,  in  order  to  prepare  him  for  renewed  work.  Some- 
thing approaching  to  the  dimness  of  twilight  is  requisite  to  induce 
the  animal  to  compose  himself  to  sleep.  This  half-light  more 
particularly  suits  horses  of  heavy  work.  In  the  quietness  of  a 
dimly-lighted  stable,  they  obtain  repose,  aiid  accumulate  flesh  and 
fat. 

GROOMmG. 

Of  this,  much  need  not  be  said  to  the  agriculturist,  since  cus- 
tom, and  apparently  without  ill  effect,  has  allotted  so  little  of  the 
comb  and  brush  to  the  farmer's  horse.  The  animal  that  is  worked 
all  day,  and  turned  out  at  night,  requires  httle  more  to  be  done 


390  GROOMING. 

to  him  than  to  have  the  dirt  brushed  off  his  limhs.  Regular 
g-rooming,  by  rendering  his  skin  more  sensible  to  the  alteration  of 
temperature,  and  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  would  be  preju- 
dicial. The  horse  that  is  altogether  turned  out,  needs  no  groom- 
ing. The  dandriff,  or  scurf,  which  accumulates  at  the  roots  of 
the  hair,  is  a  provision  of  nature  to  defend  him  from  the  wind 
and  the  cold. 

It  is  to  the  stabled  horse,  highly  fed,  and  little  or  irregularly 
worked,  that  grooming  is  of  so  much  consequence.  Good  rubbing 
with  the  brush,  or  the  curry-comb,  opens  the  pores  of  the  skin, 
circulates  the  blood  to  the  extremities  of  the  body,  produces  free 
and  healthy  perspiration,  and  stands  in  the  room  of  exercise.  No 
horse  will  carry  a  fine  coat  without  either  unnatural  heat  or 
dressing.  They  both  effect  the  same  purpose  ;  they  both  increase 
the  insensible  perspiration  :  but  the  first  does  it  at  the  expense  of 
health  and  strength,  while  the  second,  at  the  same  time  that  it 
produces  a  glow  on  the  skin,  and  a  determination  of  blood  to  it, 
rouses  all  the  energies  of  the  frame.  It  would  be  well  for  the 
proprietor  of  the  horse  if  he  were  to  insist — and  to  see  that  his 
orders  are  really  obeyed — that  the  fine  coat  in  which  he  and  his 
groom  so  much  delight,  is  produced  by  honest  rubbing,  and  not 
by  a  heated  stable  and  thick  clothing,  and  most  of  all,  not  by 
ist-Tfiulating  or  injurious  spices.  The  horse  should  be  regularly 
^ressed  every  day,  in  addition  to  the  grooming  that  is  necessary 
after  work. 

When  the  weather  will  permit  the  horse  to  be  taken  out,  he 
should  never  be  groomed  in  the  stable,  unless  he  is  an  animal  of 
peculiar  value,  or  placed  for  a  time  under  peculiar  circumstances. 
Without  dwelling  on  the  want  of  cleanliness,  when  the  scurf  and 
dust  that  are  brushed  from  the  horse  lodge  in  his  manger,  and 
mingle  with  his  food,  experience  teaches,  that  if  the  cold  is  not 
too  great,  the  animal  is  braced  and  invigorated  to  a  degree  that 
cannot  be  attained  in  the  stable,  from  being  dressed  in  the  open 
air.  There  is  no  necessity,  however,  for  half  the  punishment 
which  many  a  groom  inflicts  upon  the  horse  in  the  act  of  dressing ; 
and  particularly  on  one  whose  skin  is  thin  and  sensible.  The 
curry-comb  should  at  all  times  be  lightly  applied.  With  many 
horses,  its  use  may  be  almost  dispensed  with  ;  and  even  the  brush 
needs  not  to  be  so  hard,  nor  the  points  of  the  bristles  so  irregular, 
as  they  often  are.  A  soft  brush,  with  a  little  more  weight  of  the 
hand,  will  be  equally  eflectual,  and  a  great  deal  more  pleasant  to 
the  horse,  A  hair-cloth,  while  it  will  seldom  irritate  and  tease, 
will  be  almost  sufficient  with  horses  that  have  a  thin  skin,  and 
that  have  not  been  neglected.  After  all,  it  is  no  slight  task  to 
dress  a  horse  as  it  ought  to  be  done.  It  occupies  no  little  time, 
and  demands  considerable  patience,  as  well  as  dexterity-     It  will 


EXERCISE.  391 

be  readily  ascertained  whether  a  horse  has  been  well  dressed  by 
mbbing  him  with  one  of  the  fingers.  A  greasy  stain  will  detect 
the  idleness  oi"  the  groom  When,  however,  tiie  horse  is  chang- 
ing his  coat,  both  the  curry-comb  and  the  brush  should  be  ;"ised 
as  lightly  as  possible. 

Whoever  would  be  convinced  of  the  benefit  of  friction  to  the 
horse's  skin,  and  to  the  horse  generally,  needs  only  to  observe  the 
efiects  produced  by  well  hand-rubbing  the  legs  of  a  tired  horse. 
While  every  enlargement  subsides,  and  the  painful  stiffness  dis- 
appears, and  the  legs  attain  their  natural  warmth,  and  become 
fine,  the  animal  is  evidently  and  rapidly  reviving  ;  he  attacks  his 
food  with  appetite,  and  then  quietly  lies  down  to  rest. 

EXERCISE. 

Our  observations  on  this  important  branch  of  stable-manage 
ment  must  have  only  a  slight  reference  to  the  agricultural  horse. 
His  work  is  usually  regular,  and  not  exhausting.  He  is  neither 
predisposed  to  disease  by  idleness,  nor  worn  out  by  excessive  ex- 
ertion. He,  like  his  master,  has  enough  to  do  to  keep  him  in 
health,  and  not  enough  to  distress  or  injure  him  :  on  the  contrary, 
the  regularity  of  his  work  prolongs  life  to  an  extent  rarely  wit- 
nessed in  the  stable  of  the  gentleman.  Our  remarks  on  exercise, 
then,  must  have  a  general  bearing,  or  have  principal  reference  to 
those  persons  who  are  in  the  middle  stations  oi"  liie,  and  who  con- 
trive to  keep  a  horse  for  business  or  pleasure,  but  cannot  afford  to 
maintain  a  servant  for  the  express  purpose  of  looking  after  it.  The 
first  rule  we  would  lay  down  is,  that  every  horse  should  have 
daily  exercise.  The  animal  that,  with  the  usual  stable  feeding 
stands  idle  for  three  or  four  days,  as  is  the  case  in  many  establish 
ments,  must  suffer.  He  is  predisposed  to  fever-,  or  to  grease,  oi 
most  of  all,  diseases  of  the  foot ;  and  if,  after  three  or  four  day& 
of  inactivity,  he  is  ridden  far  and  fast,  he  is  almost  sure  to  have 
inflammation  of  the  lungs  or  of  the  feet. 

A  gentleman's  or  a  tradesman's  horse  suffers  a  great  dealmoTe 
from  idleness  than  he  does  from  work.  A  stable-fed  horse  should 
have  two  hours'  exercise  every  day,  if  he  is  to  be  kept  free  from 
disease.  Nothing  of  extraordinary,  or  even  of  ordinary  labor,  can 
be  effected  on  the  road  or  in  the  field,  without  sufficient  and  reg- 
ular exercise.  It  is  this  alone  which  can  give  energy  to  the  sys- 
tem, or  develope  the  powers  of  any  animal. 

In  training  the  hunter  and  the  race-horse,  regular  exercise  is 
the  most  important  of  all  considerations,  however  it  may  be  for- 
gotten in  the  usual  management  of  the  stable.  The  exercised 
horse  will  discharge  his  task,  and  sometimes  a  severe  one,  with 
ease   and  pleasure ;  while    the  idle  and  neglected   one  will    be 


392  FOOD. 

laliiriied  ere  half  his  labor  is  accomplished,  and,  if  he  is  pushed  9 
little  too  far,  dangerous  inflammation  will  ensue.  How  often,  nev 
erthclcss,  does  it  happen,  that  the  horse  which  has  stood  inactive  ir 
the  stable  three  or  four  days,  is  ridden  or  driven  thirty  or  forty  mile." 
in  the  course  of  a  single  day  I  This  rest  is  often  purposely  given  to 
prejjare  for  extra-exertion ; — to  lay  in  a  stock  of  strength  for  the 
performance  of  the  task  required  of  him  :  and  then  the  owner  is 
surprised  and  dissatisfied  if  the  animal  is  fairly  knocked  up,  or 
possibly  becomes  seriously  ill.  Nothing  is  so  common  and  so  pre- 
posterous, as  for  a  person  to  buy  a  horse  from  a  dealer's  stable, 
where  he  has' been  idly  fattened  lor  sale  for  many  a  day,  and  im- 
mediately to  give  him  a  long  run  after  the  hounds,  and  then  to 
complain  bitterly,  and  think  that  he  has  been  imposed  upon,  if  the 
animal  is  exhausted  before  the  end  of  the  chase,  or  is  compelled 
to  be  led  home  sufiering  from  violent  inflammation.  Regular  and 
gradually  increasing  exercise  would  have  made  the  same  horse 
appear  a  treasure  to  his  owner. 

Exercise  should  be  somewhat  proportioned  to  the  age  of  the 
horse,  A  young  horse  requires  more  than  an  old  one.  Nature 
has  given  to  young  animals  of  every  kind  a  disposition  to  activity  , 
but  the  exercise  must  not  be  violent.  A  great  deal  depends  upon 
the  manner  in  which  it  is  given.  To  preserve  the  temper,  and 
to  promote  health,  it  should  be  moderate,  at  least  at  the  beginning 
and  the  termination.  The  rapid  trot,  or  even  the  gallop,  may  be 
resorted  to  in  the  middle  of  the  exercise,  but  the  horse  should  be 
brought  in  cool. 

FOOD. 

The  system  of  manger-feeding  is  becoming  general  among  farm 
ers.  There  are  few  horses  that  do  not  habitually  waste  a  portion 
of  their  hay  ;  and  by  some  the  greater  part  is  pulled  down  and 
trampled  under  foot,  in  order  first  to  cull  the  sweetest  and  best 
locks,  and  which  could  not  be  done  while  the  hay  was  enclosed 
in  the  rack.  A  good  feeder  will  afterwards  pick  up  much  of  that 
which  was  thrown  down  ;  but  some  of  it  must  be  soiled  and  ren- 
dered disgusting,  and,  in  many  cases,  one-third  of  this  division  of 
their  food  is  wasted.  JSome  of  the  oats  and  beans  are  imperfectly 
chewed  by  all  horses,  and  scarcely  at  all  by  hungry  and  greedy 
ones.     The  appearance  of  the  dung  will  sufficiently  evince  this. 

The  observation  of  this  induced  the  adoption  of  manger-feeding.. 
or  of  mixing  a  portion  ofchafi'(i.  e.,  cut  feed)  with  the  grain  and 
beans  By  this  means  the  animal  is  compelled  to  chew  his  food  • 
he  cannot,  to  any  great  degree,  waste  the  straw  or  hay  ;  the  chafl 
is  too  hard  and  too  sharp  to  be  swallowed  without  sufficient  mas- 
tication, and   while  he  is  forced  to  grind  that  down,  the  oats  and 


Fooii.  303 

beans  are  jrround  with  it,  and  yield  more  nourishment ;  the  stom- 
ach is  more  slowly  tilled,  and  therefore  acts  better  on  its  contents, 
and  is  not  so  likely  to  be  overloaded  ;  and  the  increased  qnautity 
of  saliva  thrown  out  in  the  lengthened  maceration  of  the  ibod, 
softens  it,  and  makes  it  more  fit  for  digestion. 

Chafi'  may  be  composed  of  equal  quantities  of  clov(3r  or  meadow 
hay,  and  wheaten,  oaten,  or  barley  straw,  cut  into  pieces  of  a 
quarter  or  half  an  inch  in  length,  and  mingled  well  together ; 
the  allowance  of  oats  or  beans  is  afterwards  added,  and  mixed  with 
the  chaff.  Many  farmers  very  properly  bruise  the  oats  or  beans. 
The  whole  oat  is  apt  to  slip  out  of  the  chaff  and  be  lost ;  but  when 
it  is  bruised,  and  especially  if  the  chaff  is  a  little  wetted,  it  will 
not  readily  separate  ;  or,  should  a  portion  of  it  escape  the  grind- 
ers, it  will  be  partly  prepared  lor  digestion  by  the  act  of  bruising. 
The  prejudice  against  bruising  the  oats  is,  so  far  as  the  farmer's 
horse,  and  the  wagon  horse,  and  every  horscj  of  slow  draught, 
are  concerned,  altogether  unfounded.  The  quantity  of  straw  in 
the  chaff  will  always  counteract  any  supposed  purgative  quality 
in  bruised  oats.  Horses  of  quicker  draught,  except  they  are  nat- 
urally disposed  to  scour,  will  thrive  better  with  bruised  than  with 
whole  oats  ;  for  a  greater  quantity  of  nutriment  will  be  extracted 
from  the  food,  and  it  will  always  be  easy  to  apportion  the  quan- 
tity of  straw  or  beans  to  tlie  efiect  of  the  mixture  on  the  bowels 
of  the  horse.  The  principal  alteration  that  should  be  made  in  the 
horse  of  harder  and  more  rapid  work,  such  as  the  post-horse,  and  the 
stage-coach  horse,  is  to  increase  the  quantity  of  hay,  and  diminish 
that  of  straw.     Two  trusses  of  hay  may  be  cut  with  one  of  straw. 

Some  gentlemen,  in  defiance  of  the  prejudice  and  opposition  of 
the  coachman  or  the  groom,  have  introduced  this  mode  of  ieeding 
into  the  stables  of  their  carriage-horses  and  hackneys,  and  with 
manifest  advantage.  There  has  been  no  loss  of  condition  or  power, 
and  considerable  saving  of  provender.  This  system  is  not,  how- 
ever, calculated  for  the  hunter  or  the  race-horse.  Their  food  must 
lie  in  smaller  bulk,  in  order  that  the  action  of  the  lungs  may  not 
be  impeded  by  the  distention  of  the  stomach  ;  yet  many  hunters 
have  gone  well  over  the  field  who  have  been  manger-fed,  the  pro- 
portion of  grain,  however,  being  materially  increased. 

For  the  agricultural  and  cart-horse,  eight  pounds  of  oats  and 
two  of  beans  should  be  added  to  every  twenty  pounds  of  chaff. 
Thirty-four  or  thirty-six  pounds  of  the  mixture  will  be  suflicieni 
for  any  moderate-sized  horse,  with  fair,  or  even  hard  work.  The 
dray  and  wagon  horse  may  require  forty  pounds.  Hay  in  the 
rack  at  night  is,  in  this  case,  supposed  to  be  omitted  altogether 
The  rack,  however,  may  remain,  as  occasionally  useful  for  the 
sick  horse,  or  to  contain  tares  or  other  green  feed. 

Horses  are  very  fond  of  this  provender.     The  majority  of  them, 

q 


394  FOOD. 

after  having  been  accustomed  to  it,  will  leave  the  best  oats  given 
to  them  alone,  for  the  sake  of  the  mingled  chaff  and  grain.  We 
would,  however,  caution  the  farmer  not  to  set  apart  too  much 
damaged  hay  for  the  manufacture  of  the  chaff.  The  horse  may 
be  thus  induced  to  eat  that  which  he  would  otherwise  refuse  ; 
but  if  the  nourishing  property  of  the  hay  has  been  impaired,  or 
it  has  acquired  an  injurious  principle,  the  animal  will  either  lose 
condition,  or  become  diseased.  Much  more  injury  is  done  by  eat- 
ing damaged  hay  or  musty  oats  than  is  generally  imagined. 
There  will  be  sufficient  saving  in  the  diminished  cost  of  the 
provender  by  the  introduction  of  the  straw,  and  the  improved 
condition  of  the  horse,  without  poisoning  him  with  the  refuse  of 
the  farm.  For  old  horses,  and  for  those  with  defective  teeth, 
chaff  is  peculiarly  useful,  and  for  them  the  grain  should  be  bro- 
ken down  as  well  as  the  fodder. 

While  the  mixture  of  chaff  with  the  grain  prevents  it  from 
being  too  rapidly  devoured  and  a  portion  of  it  swallowed  whole, 
and  therefore  the  stomach  is  not  too  loaded  with  that  on  which, 
as  containing  the  most  nutiiment,  its  chief  digestive  power  should 
be  exerted,  yet,  on  the  whole,  a  grea"^.  deal  of  time  is  gained  by 
this  mode  of  feeding,  and  more  is  left  for  rest.  When  a  horse 
comes  i]i  wearied  at  the  close  of  the  day,  it  occupies,  after  he  has 
eaten  his  grain,  two  or  three  hours  to  clear  his  rack.  On  the 
system  of  manger-feeding,  the  chaff  being  already  cut  into  small 
pieces,  and  the  beans  and  oats  bruised,  he  is  able  fully  to  satisfy 
his  appetite  in  an  hour  and  a  half  Two  additional  hours  are 
therefore  devoted  to  rest.  This  is  a  circumstance  deserving  of 
much  consideration  even  in  the  farmer's  stable,  and  of  immense 
consequeace  to  the  post-master,  the  stage-coach  proprietor,  and 
the  ov/ner  of  every  hard  worked  horse. 

Manger  food  will  be  the  usual  support  of  the  farmer's  horse 
during  the  winter,  and  while  at  constant  or  occasional  hard 
work  •  but  from  the  middle  of  April  to  the  end  of  July,  he  may 
be  fed  with  this  mixture  in  the  day  and  turned  out  at  night,  or 
he  may  remain  out  during  every  rest-day.  A  team  in  constant 
employ  should  not,  however,  be  suffered  to  be  out  at  night  after 
the  end  of  July. 

The  farmer  should  take  care  that  the  pasture  is  thick  and 
good  ;  and  that  the  distance  from  the  yard  is  not  too  great,  or 
the  fields  too  large,  otherwise  a  very  considerable  portion  of  time 
will  be  occupied  in  catching  the  horse  in  the  morning.  He  will  hke- 
wise  have  to  take  into  consideration  the  sale  he  would  have  for  his 
hay,  and  the  necessity  for  sweet  and  untrodden  pasture  for  his 
cattle.  On  the  whole,  however,  turuino:  out  in  this  way,  when 
cicrumstances  wdll  admit  of  it,  will  be  found  to  be  m.ore  beneficjaj 
for  :,he  horse,  and  cheaper  than  soiling  in  the  yard. 


FOOD.  395 

The  horse  of  the  inferior  farmer  is  sometimes  fed  on  hay  or 
grass  alone,  and  the  animal,  although  he  rarely  gets  a  feed  of 
grain,  maintains  himself  in  tolerable  condition,  and  does  the  work 
that  is  required  of  him  :  but  hay  and  grass  alone,  however  good 
ni  quality,  or  in  whatever  quantity  allowed,  will  not  support  a 
horse  under  hard  work.  Other  substances  containing  a  large 
proportion  of  nutriment  in  a  smaller  compass,  have  been  added. 
They  shall  be  briefly  enumerated,  and  an  estimate  formed  of  their 
comjDarative  value. 

In  almost  every  part. of  Great  Britain,  Oats  have  been  selected 
as  that  portion  of  the  food  which  is  to  aflbrd  the  principal  nour- 
ishment. They  contain  seven  hundred  and  forty-three  parts  out 
of  a  thousand  of  the  nutritive  matter.  They  should  be  about  or 
somewhat  less  than  a  year  old,  heavy,  dry,  and  sweet.  New 
oats  will  weigh  ten  or  fifteen  per  cent,  more  than  old  ones  ; 
but  the  diflerence  consists  principally  in  watery  matter,  which  is 
gradually  evaporated.  New  oats  are  not  so  readily  ground  down 
by  the  teeth  as  old  ones.  They  form  a  more  glutinous  mass,  dif- 
ficult to  digest,  and,  when  eaten  in  considerable  quantities,  are  apt 
to  occasion  colic  and  even  staggers.  If  they  are  to  be  used  before 
they  are  from  three  to  five  months  old,  they  would  be  materi- 
ally improved  by  a  little  kiln-dr}dng.  There  is  no  fear  for  the 
horses  from  simple  drying,  if  the  corn  was  good  when  it  was  put 
into  the  kiln.  The  old  oat  forms,  when  chewed,  a  smooth  and 
uniform  mass,  which  readily  dissolves  in  the  stomach,  and  yield? 
the  nourishment  which  it  contains.  Perhaps  some  chemical 
change  may  have  been  slowly  eflected  in  the  old  oat,  disposing  it 
to  be  more  readily  assimilated.  Oats  should  be  plump,  bright  in 
color,  and  free  from  unpleasant  smell  or  taste.  The  musty  smell 
of  wetted  or  damaged  grain  is  produced  by  a  fungus  which  grows 
upon  the  seed,  and  which  has  an  injurious  efibct  on  the  urinary 
organs,  and  often  on  the  intestines,  producing  profuse  staling,  in- 
flammation of  the  kidneys,  colic,  and  inflammation  of"  the  bowels. 

This  musty  smell  is  removed  by  kiln-drying  the  oat ;  but  care 
is  here  requisite  that  too  great  a  degree  of  heat  is  not  employed. 
It  should  be  sufficient  to  destroy  the  fungus  without  injuring  the 
life  of  the  seed.  A  considerable  improvement  would  be  effected 
by  cutting  the  unthrashed  oat-straw  into  chaff,  and  the  expense 
of  thrashing  would  be  saved.  Oat-straw  is  better  than  that  of 
barley,  but  does  not  contain  so  much  nutriment  as  that  of  wheat 

When  the  horse  is  fed  on  hay  and  oats,  the  quantity  of  the  oats 
must  vary  with  his  size  and  the  work  to  be  performed.  In  win- 
ter, four  feeds,  or  from  ten  to  fourteen  j)ounds  of  oats  in  the  day, 
will  be  a  fair  allowance  for  a  horse  of  fifteen  hands  one  or  two 
inches  high,  and  that  has  moderate  work.  In  summer,  half  the 
quantity,  with  green  food  will  be  sufficient.     Those  which  work 


396  FOOD. 

on  the  farm  have  from  ten  to  fourteen  pounds,  and  the  huntei 
from  twelve  to  sixteen.  There  are  no  efficient  and  safe  substi- 
tutes for  good  oats  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  we  are  much  incHned 
to  believe  tliat  they  possess  an  invigorating  property  which  if 
not  found  in  other  food. 

Oatmeal  will  form  a  poultice  more  stimulating  than  one  com- 
posed of  linseed- meal  alone — or  they  may  be  mingled  in  different 
proportions,  as  circumstances  require.  In  the  form  of  gruel  it 
constitutes  one  of  the  most  important  articles  of  diet  for  the  sick 
horse — not,  indeed,  forced  upon  him,  but  a  pail  containing  it 
being  slung  in  his  box,  and  of  which  he  will  soon  begin  to  drink 
when  water  is  denied.  Few  grooms  make  good  gruel  ;  it  is 
either  not  boiled  long  enough,  or  a  sufficient  quantity  of  oatmeal 
has  not  been  used.  The  proportions  should  be,  a  pound  of  meal 
thrown  into  a  gallon  of  water,  and  kept  constantly  stirred  until 
it  boils,  and  five  minutes  afterwards. 

White-water,  made  by  stirring  a  pint  of  oatmeal  in  a  pail  of 
water,  the  chill  being  taken  from  it,  is  an  excellent  beverage  foi 
the  thirsty  and  tired  horse. 

Barley  is  a  common  food  of  the  horse  on  various  parts  of  the 
Continent,  and,  until  the  introduction  of  the  oat,  seems  to  have 
constituted  almost  his  only  food.  It  is  more  nutritious  than  oats, 
containing  nine  hundred  and  twenty  parts  of  nutritive  matter  in 
every  thousand.  There  seems,  however,  to  be  something  neces- 
sary besides  a  great  proportion  of  nutritive  matter,  in  order  tc 
render  any  substance  wholesome,  strengthening,  or  fattening  : 
therefore  it  is  that,  in  many  horses  that  are  hardly  worked,  and. 
indeed,  in  horses  generally,  barley  does  not  agree  with  them  so 
well  as  oats.  They  are  occasionally  subject  to  inflammatory 
complaints,  and  particularly  to  surfeit  and  mange. 

When  barley  is  given,  the  quantity  should  not  exceed  a  peck 
daily.  It  should  always  be  bruised,  and  the  chaff  should  consist 
of  equal  quantities  of  hay  and  barley-straw,  and  not  cut  too  short. 
If  the  farmer  has  a  quantity  of  spotted  or  unsaleable  barley  that 
he  wishes  thus  to  get  rid  of,  he  must  very  gradually  accustom  his 
horses  to  it,  or  he  will  probably  produce  serious  illness  among 
them.  For  horses  that  are  recovering  from  illness,  barley,  in  the 
form  of  malt,  is  often  serviceable,  as  tempting  the  appetite  and 
recruiting  the  strength.  It  is  best  given  in  mashes — water,  con- 
siderably below  the  boiling  heat,  being  poured  upon  it,  and  the 
vessel  or  pail  kept  covered  for  half  an  hour. 

Grains  fresh  from  the  mash-tub,  either  alone,  or  mixed  with 
oats  or  chaff,  or  both,  may  be  occasionally  given  to  horses  of  slow 
draught  ;  they  would,  however,  afibrd  very  insufficient  nourish 
ment  for  horses  of  quicker  or  harder  work. 

Wheat  is,  in  Great  Britain,  more  rarely  given  than  barley 


FOOD.  397 

i  <.  contains  nine  hundred  and  fifty-five  parts  of  nutritive  matter 
When  farmers  have  a  damaged  or  unmarketable  sample  of 
wheat,  they  sometimes  give  it  to  their  horses,  and,  benig  at  first 
used  in  small  quantities,  they  become  accustomed  to  it,  and  thrive 
and  work  well :  it  must,  however,  always  be  bruised  and  given 
in  chaff.  Wheat  contains  a  greater  portion  of  gluten,  or  sticky, 
adhesive  matter,  than  any  other  kind  of  grain.  It  is  difficult  of 
digestion,  and  apt  to  cake  and  forms  obstructions  in  the  bowels 
This  will  oftener  be  the  case  if  the  horse  is  suffered  to  drink  much 
water  soon  after  feeding  upon  wheat. 

Fermentation,  colic,  and  death,  are  occasionally  the  conse- 
quence of  eating  any  great  quantity  of  wheat.  A  horse  that  is 
fed  on  wheat  should  have  very  little  hay.  The  proportion  should 
not  be  more  than  one  truss  of  hay  to  two  of  straw.  Wheaten 
flour,  boiled  in  water  to  the  thickness  of  starch,  is  given  with  good 
effect  in  over-purging,  and  especially  if  combined  with  chalk  and 
opium. 

Bran,  or  the  ground  husk  of  the  wheat,  used  to  be  frequently 
given  to  sick  horses  on  account  of  the  supposed  advantage  derived 
from  its  relaxing  the  bowels.  There  is  no  doubt  that  it  does  ope- 
rate gently  on  the  intestinal  canal,  and  assists  in  quickening  the 
passage  of  its  contents,  when  it  is  occasionally  given  ;  but  it  must 
not  be  a  constant,  or  even  frequent  food.  Mr.  Ernes  attended 
three  mills  at  which  many  horses  were  kept,  and  there  were  al- 
ways two  or  three  cases  of  indigestion  from  the  accumulation  of 
bran  or  pollard  in  the  large  intestines.  Bran  may,  however,  be 
useful  as  an  occasional  aperient  in  the  form  of  a  mash,  but  iieviT 
should  become  a  regular  article  of  food. 

Beans. — These  form  a  striking  illustration  of  the  principle, 
that  the  nourishing  or  strengthening  effects  of  the  different  arti- 
cles of  food  depend  more  on  some  peculiar  property  which  they 
possess,  or  some  combination  which  they  form,  than  on  the  actual 
quantity  of  nutritive  matter.  Beans  contain  but  five  hundred 
and  seventy  parts  of  nutritive  matter,  yet  they  add  materially  to 
the  vigor  of  the  horse.  There  are  many  horses  that  will  not 
stand  hard  work  without  beans  being  mingled  with  their  food, 
and  these  not  horses  whose  tendency  to  purge  it  may  be  neces- 
sary to  restrain  by  the  astringency  of  the  bean.  There  is  no 
traveller  who  is  not  aware  of  the  difference  in  the  spirit  and  con- 
tinuance of  his  horse  whether  he  allows  or  denies  him  beans  on 
his  journey.  They  afford  not  merely  a  temporary  stimulus,  but 
they  may  be  daily  used  without  losing  their  power,  or  producing 
exhaustion.  They  are  indispensable  to  the  hard- worked  coach- 
horse.  Washy  horses  could  never  get  through  their  work  with- 
out them ';  and  old  horses  would  often  sink  under  the  task  im- 
posed upon  them.     They  should  not  be  given  to  the  horses  whole^ 


398  FOOD. 

or  split,  but  crushed.  This  will  make  a  material  difference  ji 
the  quantity  of  mitriment  that  will  be  extracted.  They  »*re 
sometimes  given  to  turi-horses,  but  only  as  an  occasional  stimu- 
lant. Two  pounds  of  beans  may,  with  advantage,  be  mixed  with 
the  chaff  ol  the  agricultural  horse,  during  the  winter.  In  sum- 
mer the  quantity  of  beans  should  be  lessened,  or  they  should  be 
altogether  discontinued.  Beans  are  generally  given  whole.  This 
is  very  absurd  :  for  the  young  horse  whose  teeth  are  strong,  sel- 
dom requires  them  ;  while  the  old  horse,  to  whom  they  are  in  a 
manner  necessary,  is  scarcely  able  to  masticate  them,  swallows 
many  of  them  which  he  is  unable  to  break,  and  drops  much  corn 
from  his  mouth  in  the  ineffectual  attempt  to  crush  them.  Beans 
should  not  be  merely  split,  but  crushed ;  tiiey  will  even  then 
give  sufficient  employment  to  the  grinders  of  the  animal.  Some 
post-masters  use  chaff  with  beans  instead  of  oats.  With  hardly- 
worked  horses  they  may  possibly  be  allowed  ;  but,  in  general 
cases,  beans,  without  oats,  would  be  too  binding  and  stimulating, 
and  would  jiroduce  costiveness,  and  probably  megrims  or  staggers. 

Beans  should  be  at  least  a  twelvemonth  old  before  they  are 
given  to  the  horse,  and  they  should  be  carefully  preserved  from 
damp  and  mouldiness,  which  at  least  disgust  the  horse  if  they  do 
no  other  harm,  and  harbor  an  insect  that  destroys  the  inner  pari 
of  the  bean. 

The  straw  of  the  bean  is  nutritive  and  wholesome,  and  is  usu- 
ally given  to  the  horses.  Its  nutritive  properties  are  supposed  to 
be  little  inferior  to  those  of  oats.  The  small  and  plump  bean  is 
generally  the  best. 

Peas  are  occasionally  given.  They  appear  to  be  in  a  slight 
degree  more  nourishing  than  beans,  and  not  so  heating.  They 
contain  five  hundred  and  seventy-four  parts  of  nutritive  matter. 
For  horses  of  slow  work  they  may  be  used  ;  but  the  quantity  of 
chaff  should  be  increased,  and  a  few  oats  added.  They  have 
not  been  found  to  answer  with  horses  of  quick  draught.  It  is 
essential  that  they  should  be  crushed  ;  otherwise,  on  accouni  of 
iheir  globular  form,  they  are  apt  to  escape  from  the  teeth,  and 
many  are  swallowed  whole.  Exposed  to  warmth  and  moisture 
in  tiie  stomach,  they  swell  considerably,  and  may  painfully  and 
injuiiously  distend  it.  The  peas  that  are  given  to  horses  should 
be  sound,  and  at  least  a  twelve-month  old. 

In  some  northern  counties  pea-meal  is  frequently  used,  not  only 
as  an  excellent  food  for  the  horse,  but  as  a  rem.edy  for  diabetes. 

LmsEED  is  sometimes  given  to  sick  horses — raw,  ground,  and 
boiled.     It  is  supposed  to  be  useful  in  cases  of  catarrh. 

Ha^  is  most  in  perfection  when  it  is  about  a  twelve-month  old 
The  horse  perhaps  would  prefer  it  earlier,  but  it  neither  so  whole- 
some rwr  so  nutritive,  and  often  has  a  purgative  quality.     When 


FOOD.  39*J 

it  is  about  a  year  old,  it  retains  or  should  retain  somewhat  of  its 
gieeu  color,  its  aofreeable  smell  and  its  pleasant  taste.  It  has  un- 
dergone the  slow  process  of  fermentation,  by  which  the  sugar 
which  it  contains  is  developed,  and  its  nutritive  quality  is  fully 
exercised.  Old  hay  becomes  dry  and  tasteless,  and  innutritive 
and  unwholesome.  After  the  grass  is  cut,  and  the  hay  stacked, 
a  slight  degree  of  fermentation  takes  place  in  it.  This  is  neces- 
sary for  the  developement  of  the  saccharine  principle  ;  but  occa- 
sionally it  proceeds  too  far  and  tlie  hay  becomes  moicbumt,  in 
wliich  state  it  is  injurious,  or  even  poisonous.  The  horse  soon 
shoAvs  the  effect  which  it  has  upon  him.  He  has  diabetes  to  a 
considerable  degree — he  becomes  hidebound — his  strength  is 
wasted — his  thirst  is  excessive,  and  he  is  almost  worthless. 

Where  the  system  of  manger-feeding  is  not  adopted,  or  where 
hay  is  still  allowed  at  night,  and  chaff  and  corn  in  the  day,  there 
is  no  error  into  which  the  farmer  is  so  apt  to  fall  as  to  give  an  un- 
due quantity  of  hay,  and  that  generally  of  the  worst  kind.  If  the 
manger  system  is  good,  there  can  be  no  necessity  for  hay,  or  only 
for  a  small  quantity  of  it ;  but  if  the  rack  is  overloaded,  the 
greedy  horse  will  be  eating  all  night,  instead  of  taking  rest — 
when  the  time  for  the  morning  feed  arrives,  his  stomach  will  be 
already  filled,  and  he  will  be  less  capable  of  work  from  the  want 
of  sleep,  and  from  the  long-continued  distention  of  the  stomach 
rendering  it  impossible  for  the  food  to  be  properly  digested. 

It  is  a  good  practice  to  sprinkle  the  hay  with  Avater  in  which 
salt  has  been  dissolved.  It  is  evidently  more  palatable  to  the  ani- 
mal, who  will  leave  the  best  unsaltod  hay  for  that  of  an  inferior 
quality  that  has  been  moistened  with  brine  ;  and  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  salt  very  materially  assists  the  process  of  digestion. 
The  preferable  ^ay  of  salting  hay  is  to  sprinkle  it  over  the  difler- 
ent  layers  as  the  rick  is  formed.  From  its  attraction  for  water,  it 
would  combine  with  that  excess  of  moisture  which,  in  wet  sea- 
sons, is  the  cause  of  too  rapid  and  violent  fermentation,  and  of  the 
hay  becoming  mowburnt,  or  the  rick  catching  fire,  and  it  would 
become  more  incorporated  with  the  hay.  The  only  objection  Id 
its  being  thus  used  is,  that  the  color  of  the  hay  is  not  so  bright ; 
but  this  will  be  of  little  consequence  for  home  consumption. 

Of  the  value  of  Tares,  as  forming  a  portion  of  the  late  spring 
and  summer  food  of  the  stabled  and  agricultural  horse,  there  can 
be  no  doubt.  They  are  cut  after  the  pods  are  formed,  but  a  con- 
siderable time  before  the  seeds  are  ripe. — They  supply  a  largei 
quantity  of  food  for  a  limited  time  than  almost  any  other  forage- 
crop.  Tne  vicia  sativa  is  the  more  profitable  of  the  tare.  It 
is  very  nutritive,  and  acts  as  a  gentle  aperient.  When  surfeit- 
lumps  appear  on  the  skin,  and  the  horse  begins  to  rub  himself 
against  the  divisions  of  the  stall,  and  the  legs  swell,  and  the  heela 


400  FOOD. 

threaten  to  crack,  a  few  tares,  cut  up  with  the  chaff,  or  given  in- 
stead of  a  portion  of  the  hay,  will  afford  considerable  relief  Ten 
or  twelve  pounds  may  be  allowed  daily,  and  half  that  weight  of 
hay  subtracted.  It  is  an  erroneous  notion,  that,  given  in  mode- 
rate quantities,  they  either  roughen  the  coat  or  lessen  the  capabi- 
lity for  hard  work. 

E-YE  Grass  affords  a  valuable  article  of  food,  but  is  inferior  to 
the  tare.  It  is  not  so  nutritive.  It  is  apt  to  scour,  and,  occasion- 
ally, and  late  in  the  spring,  it  has- appeared  to  be  injurious  to  the 
horse. 

Clover,  for  soiling  the  horse,  is  inferior  to  the  tare  and  the  rye 
grass,  but  nevertheless,  is  useful  when  they  cannot  be  obtained. 
Clover  hay  is,  perhaps,  preferable  to  meadow  hay  for  chaff.  It 
will  sometimes  tempt  the  sick  horse,  and  may  be  given  with  ad- 
vantage to  those  of  slow  and  heavy  work  :  but  custom  seems 
properly  to  have  forbidden  it  to  the  hunter  and  the  hackney. 

LucERN,  where  it  can  be  obtained,  is  preferable  even  to  tares, 
and  SAINFOIN  is  superior  to  lucern.  Although  they  contain  but  a 
small  quantity  of  nutritive  matter,  it  is  easily  digested,  and  per- 
fectly assimilated.  They  speedily  put  both  muscle  and  fat  on  the 
horse  that  is  worn  down  by  labor,  and  they  are  almost  a  speci- 
fic for  hide-bound.  Some  farmers  have  thought  so  highly  of  lu- 
cern as  to  substitute  it  for  oats.  This  may  be  allowable  for  the 
agricultural  horse  of  slow  and  not  severe  work,  but  he  from  whom 
speedier  action  is  sometimes  required,  and  the  horse  of  all  work, 
must  have  a  portion  of  hard  meat  within  him. 

The  Swedish  Turnip  is  an  article  of  food  the  value  of  which 
has  not  been  sufficiently  appreciated,  and  particularly  for  agricul- 
tural horses.  Although  it  is  far  from  containing  the  quantity  of 
nutritive  matter  which  has  been  supposed,  that  which  it  has 
seems  to  be  capable  of  easy  and  complete  digestion.  It  should 
be  sliced  with  chopped  straw,  and  without  hay.  It  quickly  fat- 
tens the  horse,  and  produces  a  smooth  glossy  coat  and  a  loose 
skin.  It  will  be  good  practice  to  give  it  once  a  day,  and  that  at 
night  when  the  work  is  done. 

CaPcRots. — The  virtues  of  this  root  are  not  sufficiently  knoMTi, 
whether  as  contributing  to  the  strength  and  endurance  of  the 
sound  horse,  or  the  rapid  recovery  of  the  sick  one.  To  the 
healthy  horse  they  should  be  given  sliced  in  his  chaff.  Half  a 
bushel  will  be  a  fair  daily  allowance.  There  is  little  provender 
of  which  the  horse  is  fonder.  The  following  account  of  the 
value  of  the  carrot  is  not  exaggerated.  "  This  root  is  held  in 
much  esteem.  There  is  none  better,  nor  perhaps  so  good.  When 
first  given  it  is  slightly  diuretic  and  laxative  ;  but  as  the  horse 
becomes  accustomed  to  it,  these  effects  cease  to  be  produced. 
Tiiey  also  improve  the  state  of  the  skin.     They  form  a  good  sub- 


FOOD,  401 

atitute  for  grass,  and  an  excellent  alterative  for  horses  out  of  con- 
dition. To  sick  and  idle  horses  they  render  grain  unnecessary. 
They  are  benelicial  in  all  chronic  diseases  connected  with  breathing, 
and  have  a  marked  influence  upon  chronic  cough  and  broken  wind, 
rhey  are  serviceable  in  diseases  of  the  skin,  and  in  combination 
with  oats  they  restore  a  worn  horse  much  sooner  tKan  oats  alone 

Potatoes  have  been  given,  and  with  advantage,  in  their  raw 
state,  sliced  with  the  chaff;  but,  where  it  has  been  convenient  to 
boil  or  steam  them,  the  benefit  has  been  far  more  evident.  Purg- 
ing has  then  rarely  ensued,  Some  have  given  boiled  potatoes 
alone,  and  horses,  instead  of  rejecting  them,  have  soon  preferred 
them  even  to  the  oat ;  but  it  is  better  to  mix  them  with  the  usual 
manger  feed,  in  the  proportion  of  one  pound  of  potatoes  to  two 
and  a  half  pounds  of  the  other  ingredients  The  use  of  the  po- 
tato must  depend  on  its  cheapness,  and  the  facility  for  boiling  it. 
Half  a  dozen  horses  would  soon  repay  the  expense  of  a  steaming 
boiler  in  the  saving  of  provender,  without  taking  into  the  account 
their  improved  condition  and  capability  for  work.^  A  horse  fed 
on  potatoes  should  have  his  quantity  of  water  materially  curtailed. 

Furze  has  sometimes  been  given  during  the  winter  months. 
There  is  considerable  trouble  attending  the  preparation  of  it,  al- 
though its  plentifulness  and  little  value  for  other  purposes  would, 
on  a  large  farm,  well  repay  that  trouble.  The  furze  is  cut  down 
at  about  three  or  four  years'  growth ;  the  green  branches  of  that 
and  the  preceding  year  are  bruised  in  a  mill,  and  then  given  to 
the  horses  in  the  state  in  which  they  come  from  the  mill,  or  cut  up 
with  the  chaff.  Horses  are  very  fond  of  it.  If  twenty  pounds 
of  the  furze  are  given,  five  pounds  of  straw,  the  beans,  and  three 
pounds  of  the  oats,  may  be  withdrawn. 

The  times  of  feeding  should  be  as  equally  divided  as  con 
venience  will  permit  ;  and  when  it  is  likely  that  the  horse  will 
be  kept  longer  than  usual  from  home,  the  nose-bag  should  in- 
variably be  taken.  The  small  stomach  of  the  horse  is  emptied 
in  a  few  hours  ;  and  if  he  is  suffered  to  remain  hungry  much 
beyond  his  accustomed  time,  he  will  afterwards  devour  his  food 
so  voraciously  as  to  distend  the  stomach  and  endanger  an  attack 
of  staggers. 

WRen  extra  work  is  required  from  the  animal,  the  system  of 
management  is  often  injudicious,  for  a  double  feed  is  put  before 
him,  and  as  soon  as  he  has  swallowe^it,  he  is  started.  It  would 
De  far  better  to  give  him  a  double'Teed  on  the  previous  eve- 
ning, which  would  be  digested  before  he  is  wanted,  and  then  Iv 

*  Professor  Low  says  that  1 5  lbs.  of  potatoes  yield  as  much  nourishment  as 
four  pounds  and  a  half  of  oats.     Yon  Thayer  asserts  that  three  bushels  are 
equal  to  112lbs.  of  hay ;  and  Curwen,  who  tried  potatoes  extensively  in  the 
feeding  of  horsea  says  that  an  acre  goes  as  far  as  four  acres  of  hay, 
26 


1-02  WATER. 

might  set  out  in  the  morning  after  a  very  small  portion  of 
grain  has  been  given  to  him,  or  perhaps  only  a  little  hay 
One  of  the  most  successful  methods  of  enabling  a  horse  to  get 
well  through  a  long  journey,  is  to  give  him  only  a  little  at  a 
time  while  on  the  road,  and  at  night  to  indulge  him  with  a 
double  feed  of  grain  and  a  full  allowance  of  beans. 

Water. — This  is  a  part  of  stable  management  little  re- 
garded by  the  farmer.  He  lets  his  horses  loose  morning  and 
ni2"ht,  and  they  go  to  the  nearest  pond  or  brook  and  drink 
their  fill,  and  no  harm  results,  for  they  obtain  that  kind  of 
water  which  nature  designed  them  to  have,  in  a  manner  pre- 
pared for  them  by  some  unknown  influence  of  the  atmosphere, 
as  well  as  by  the  deposition  of  many  saline  admixtures.  The 
difference  between  hard  and  soft  water  is  known  to  every  one. 
In  hard  water,  soap  will  curdle,  vegetables  will  not  boil  soft, 
and  the  saccharine  matter  of  the  malt  cannot  be  fully  ob- 
tained in  the  process  of  brewing.  There  is  nothing  in  which 
the  different  effect  of  hard  and  soft  water  is  so  evident,  as  in 
the  stomach  and  digestive  organs  of  the  horse.  Hard  water, 
drawn  fresh  from  the  well,  will  assuredly  make  the  coat  of 
a  horse  unaccustomed  to  it  stare,  and  it  will  not  unfrequently 
gripe  and  otherwise  injure  him.  Instinct  or  experience  has 
made  even  the  horse  himself  conscious  of  this,  for  he  will 
never  drink  hard  water  if  he  has  access  to  soft,  and  he  will 
leave  the  most  transparent  and  pure  water  of  the  well  for  a 
river,  although  the  stream  may  be  turbid,  and  even  for  the 
muddiest  pool.*"  He  is  injured,  however,  not  so  much  by  the 
hardness  of  the  well-water  as  by  its  coldness — particularly  by 
its  coldness  in  summer,  and  when  it  is  in  many  degrees  below 
the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere.  The  water  in  the  brook 
and  the  pond  being  warmed  by  long  exposure  to  the  air,  as  well 
as  having  become  soft,  the  horse  drinks  freely  of  it  without 
danger. 

If  the  horse  were  watered  three  times  a  day,  and  especially 
in  summer,  he  would  often  be  saved  from  the  sad  torture  of 
thirst,  and  from  many  a  disease.  Whoever  has  observed  the 
eagerness  with  which  the  over-worked  horse,  hot  and  .tired, 
plunges  his  muzzle  into  the  pail,  and  the  difficulty  of  stopping 
him  until  he  has  drained  the  last  drop,  may  form  some  idea  of  what 
he  had  previously  suffereidfend  will  not  wonder  at  the  violent 
spasms,  and  inflammation,  and  sudden  death,  that  often  result. 

There  is  a  prejudice  in  the  minds  of  many  persons  against  tho 

*  Some  trainers  have  so  much  fear  of  hard  or  strange  water,  that  they 
carr^  ■;\'itli  them  to  the  different  courses  the  water  that  the  animal  has  been 
accustomed  to  drink,  and  that  which  they  know  agrees  with  it. 


MANAGEMENT    OF    THE    FEET.  403 

horse  being  fully  supplied  with  water.  They  think  that  it  injures 
his  wind,  and  disables  him  tor  quick  and  hard  work.  If  he  is 
galloped,  as  he  too  ol'ten  is,  immediately  after  drinking,  his  wind 
may  be  irreparably  injured  ;  but  if  he  were  oftener  suflered  to 
satiate  his  thirst  at  the  intervals  of  rest,  Jie  would  be  happier 
and  better.  It  k^a  fact  unsuspected .  by  those  who  have  not 
carefully  observea^he  horse,  that  if  he  has  frequent  access  to 
water,  he  will  not  drink  so  much  in  the  course  of  the  day  as 
another  will  do,  who,  to  cool  his  parched  mouth,  swallows  as 
fast  as  he  can,  and  knows  not  when  to  stop. 

On  a  journey  a  horse  should  be  liberally  supplied  with  water. 
When  he  is  a  little  cooled,  tM^o  or  three  quarts  may  be  given  to 
him,  and  after  that  his  feed.  Before  he  has  finished  his  corn, 
two  or  three  quarts  more  may  be  offered.  He  will  take  no  harm 
if  this  is  repeated  three   or  lour  times  during   a  long   and  hot 

It  is  a  judicious  rule  with  travellers,  that  when  a  horse  begins 
to  refuse  his  food,  he  should  he  pushed  no  farther  that  day.  It 
may,  hoAvever,  be  worth  while  to  try  whether  this  does  not  pro- 
ceed from  thirst,  as  much  as  from  exhaustion,  for  ini>many  in- 
stances his  appetite  and  his  spirits  will  return  soon  after  he  has 
partaken  of  the  refreshing  draught. 

Management  of  the  Feet. — This  is  the  only  division  of 
stable  management  that  remains  to  be  considered,  and  one  sadly 
neglected  by  the  carter  and  groom.  The  feet  should  be  care- 
fully examined  every  morning,  for  the  shoes  may  be  loose  and 
the  horse  would  have  been  stopped  in  the  middle  of  his  work  : 
or  the  clenches  may  be  raised,  and  endanger  the  wounding  of 
his  legs  ;  or  the  shoe  may  begin  to  press  upon  the  sole  or  the 
heel,  and  bruises  of  the  sole,  or  corn,  may  be  the  result  ;  and, 
the  horse  having  stood  so  long  in  the  stable,  every  little  increase 
of  heat  in  the  loot,  or  lameness,  will  be  more  readily  detected, 
and  serious  disease  may  often  be  prevented. 

When  the  horse  comes  in  at  night,  and  after  the  harness  has 
been  taken  off  and  stowed  away,  the  heels  should  be  well 
brushed  out.  Hand-rubbing  will  be  preferable  to  washing, 
especially  in  the  agricultural  horse,  whose  heels,  covered  with 
long  hair,  can  scarcely  be  dried  again.  If  the  dirt  is  suffered  to 
accumulate  in  that  long  liair,  the  heels  will  become  sore,  and 
grease  will  follow  ;  and  if  the  heliB  are  washed,  and  particu- 
larly during  the  winter,  grease  will  result  from  the  coldness 
occasioned  by  the  slow  evaporation  of  the  moisture.  The  feet 
should  be  stopped — even  the  feet  of  the  farmer's  horse,  if  he 
remains  in  the  stable.  Very  little  clay  should  be  used  in  the 
stopping,  for  it  will  get  hard  and  press  upon  the  sole.  Cow- 
dung  is  the  best  stopping  to  preserve  the  feet  cool  and  elastic  ;  but 


•104  MANAGEMENT    OF    THE    FEET. 

before  the  stopping  is  applied,  the  picker  should  be  run  round 
the  whole  of  the  foot,  between  the  shoe  and  the  sole,  in  order  to 
detect  any  stone  that  may  have  insinuated  itself  there,  or  a  wound 
on  any  other  part  of  the  sole.  For  the  hackney  and  hunter 
stopping  is  indispensable.  After  several  days'  hard  work  it  will 
aflbrd  very  great  relief  to  take  the  shoes  off,  having  put  plenty 
of  litter  under  the  horse,  or  to  turn  him,  if  possible,  into  a  loose- 
box  ;  and  the  shoes  of  every  horse,  whether  hardly  worked  or 
not,  should  be  removed  or  changed  once  in  every  three  weeks. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


THE    SKIN    AND    ITS    DISEASES. 


The  skin  of  the  liorse  consists  of  three  layers.  Externally  is 
the  cuticle,  epidermis,  or  scarf-skin,  composed  of  innumerable  thin 
transparent  scales,  like  those  of  a  fish.  They  are  raised  in  the 
form  of  pellucid  bladders  in  blistering,  and  are  thrown  ofi'  in  hard, 
dry,  white  scales,  in  mange  and  some  other  diseases.  The  scarf- 
skin  is  permeated  by  innumerable  pores,  for  the  passage  of  the 
hair,  perspiration,  and  unctuous  secretions,  and  for  the  inha- 
lation of  gasses  and  fluids.  It  is  destitute  of  nerves  and  blood- 
vessels, is  insensible,  and  its  principal  use  seems  to  be  to  protect 
the  true  skin,  and  to  moderate  its  occasional  morbid  sensibility. 
There  is  a  constant  alteration  and  renewal  of  every  part  of  it, 
but  it  adheres  to  the  true  skin  through  the  medium  of  the  pores, 
and  also  numerous  little  eminences,  or  projections,  which  seem  to 
be  prolongations  of  the  nerves  of  the  skin. 

Beneath  the  cuticle  is  a  thin,  soft  substance,  through  which  the 
pores  and  eminences  of  the  true  skin  pass.  It  is  termed  the 
rete  7micosu')n,  from  its  web-like  structure,  and  its  soft  mucous 
consistence.  Its  office  is  to  cover  the  minute  vessels  and  nerves 
in  their  way  from  the  cutis  to  the  cuticle.  It  is  also  connected 
with  the  color  of  the  skin. 

The  cutis,  or  true  skin,  lies  beneath  the  rete  mucosum.  It  is 
decidedly  of  a  fibrous  texture,  elastic,  but  with  difficulty  lacerated 
— exceedingly  vascular,  and  highly  sensitive. 

The  skin  answers  the  double  purpose  of  protection  and  strength. 
Where  it  is  necessary  that  the  parts  should  be  bound  and  knit 
together,  it  adheres  so  tightly  that  we  can  scarcely  raise  it.  Thus 
the  bones  of  the  knees  and  the  pasterns  and  the  tendons  of  the 
legs,  on  which  so  much  stress  is  frequently  thrown,  are  securely 
tied  down  and  kept  in  their  places. 

Of  its  strength  we  have  abundant  proof,  both  in  the  living  and 
dead  animal. 

It  is,  while  the  animal  is  alive,  one  of  the  most  elastic  bodies 
with  which  we  are  acquainted.  It  not  only  perfectly  adapts  it- 
self to  the  slow  growth   or  decrease  of  the  body,  and   appears 


4:06  THE    SKIN    AND    ITS    DISEASES. 

equally  to  fit,  whether  the  horse  is  in  the  plumpest  condition  oi 
reduced  to  a  skeleton  ;  but,  when  a  portion  of  it  is  distended  to  an 
extraordinary  degree,  in  the  most  powerful  action  of  the  m.uscles, 
it,  in  a  moment,  again  contracts  to  its  usual  dimensions. 

It  is  principally  indebted  for  this  elasticity  to  almost  innumer- 
able minute  glands  which  pour  out  an  oily  fluid  that  softens  and 
supplies  it.  When  the  horse  is  in  health,  and  every  organ  dis- 
charges its  proper  functions,  a  certain  quantity  of  this  unctuous 
matter  is  spread  over  the  surface  of  the  skin,  and  is  contained  in 
all  the  pores  that  penetrate  its  substance;  and  the  skin  becomes 
pliable,  easily  raised  from  the  texture  beneath,  and  presenting 
that  peculiar  yielding  softness  and  elasticity  which  experience 
has  proved  to  be  the  best  proofs  of  the  condition,  or  in  other  words, 
the  general  health  of  the  animal.  Then,  too,  from  the  oilness  and 
soilness  of  the  skin,  the  hair  lies  in  its  natural  and  proper  direc- 
tion, and  is  smooth  and  glossy.  When  the  system  is  deranged, 
and  especially  the  digestive  system,  and  the  vessels  concerned  in 
the  nourishment  of  the  animal  feebly  act,  those  of  the  skin  evi- 
dently sympathize.  This  oily  secretion  is  no  more  thrown  out ; 
the  skin  loses  its  pliancy  ;  it  seems  to  cling  to  the  animal,  and  we 
have  that  peculiar  appearance  which  we  call  hide-bound.  This, 
however,  requires  attentive  consideration. 

We  observe  a  horse  in  the  summer.  We  find  him  with  a  thin, 
smooth,  glossy  coat,  and  his  extremities  clean  and  tree  almost 
from  a  single  rough  and  misplaced  hair.  We  me-et  with  him 
again  towards  the  winter,  when  the  thermometer  has  fallen  al- 
most or  quite  to  the  freezing  point,  and  we  scarcely  recogiwze  him 
in  his  thick,  rough,  coarse,  colorless  coat,  and  his  legs  enveloped 
in  long,  shaggy  hair.  The  health  of  the  horse  is,  to  a  certain  de- 
gree, deranged.  He  is  dull,  languid,  easily  fatigued.  He  will 
break  into  a  sweat  with  the  slightest  exertion,  and  it  is  almost 
imposssble  thoroughly  to  dry  him.  He  may  perhaps  feed  as  well 
as  usual,  although  that  will  not  generally  be  the  case,  but  he  is 
not  equal  to  the  demands  which  we  are  compelled  to  make  upon 
him. 

This  process  goes  on  for  an  uncertain  time,  depending  on  the 
constitution  of  the  animal,  until  nature  has  effected  a  ohangc,  and 
then  he  once  more  rallies  ;  but  a  great  alteration  has  taken  phice 
in  him — the  hair  has  lost  its  soft  and  glossy  cliaracter,  and  is  be- 
come dry  and  staring.  The  skin  ceases  to  secrete  that  peculiar 
unctuous  matter  which  kept  it  soft  and  flexible,  and  becomes  dry 
and  scaly  ;  and  the  exhaients  on  the  surface,  having  become  re- 
laxed, are  frequently  pouring  out  a  profuse  perspiration,  without 
any  apparent  adequate  cause  for  it. 

So  passes  the  approach  to  winter,  and  the  owner  complains 
Badly  of  the  appearance  of  his  steed,  and,  according  to  the  old 


HIDE-BOUND.  407 

custom,  gives  him  plenty  of  cordial  balls, — perhaps  too  many  of 
them, — on  the  whole  not  being  unserviceable  at  this  critical  pe- 
riod, yet  not  productive  of  a  great  deal  of  good.  At  length  the 
animal  rallies  of  himself,  and  although  not  so  strong  and  full  of 
spirits  as  he  ought  to  be,  is  hardier  and  more  lively  than  he  was, 
and  able  to  struggle  with  the  cold  of  the  coming  winter. 

What  a  desideratum  in  the  management  of  the  horse  would 
be  a  course  of  treatment  that  would  render  all  this  unnecessary  ! 
The  desideratum  has  been  found — a  free  escape  of  perspiration,  a 
moist  and  softened  state  of  the  skin,  an  evident  increase  of  health, 
and  capability  of  enduring  fatigue,  and  working  on  shorter  supply 
of  food  than  he  could  beibre.  This  is  said  to  be  performed  by  the 
clipping  and  singeing  systems. 

Mr.  Thomas  Turner,  who  was  almost  one  of  the  earliest  advo- 
cates of  these  systems,  states  that  during  the  months  of  October 
and  November  an  inordinate  growth  of  hair  is  observed  over  the 
whole  surface  of  the  body,  and  in  many  horses  as  early  as  the  be- 
ginning of  September,  and  almost  invariably  prevails,  more  or 
less,  in  every  horse  that  is  not  thorough-bred.  The  debilitating 
effects  thereby  induced  are  profuse  perspira^tion  on  the  least  pos- 
sible exertion — depression  of  the  animal  spirits,  and  temporary 
loss  of  appetite.  The  immediate  removal  of  all  the  superfluous 
hair  by  close  clipping,  instantly  proves  so  powerful  a  tonic  to  the 
animal,  that  he  unhesitatingly  affirms  it  to  be  inferior  to  none  at 
present  known  in  our  pharmacopseia.  Mr.  Turner  adds, — "  Now, 
signal  as  the  success  of  clipping  has  been,  I  do  entertain  a  hope, 
and  am  of  opinion  that,  in  the  majority  of  instances,  it  may  be 
superseded  by  singeing  under  certain  modifications." 

We  may  not,  perhaps,  be  able  satisfactorily  to  explain  the  ap- 
parently magical  effects  of  clipping  and  singeing  on  the  general 
constitution,  and  particularly  the  wind  of  the  horse,  or  the  respi- 
ratory functions  generally,  but  there  is  no  doubt  of  their  exist- 
ence. An  increased  tone  is  given  to  the  system  generally  ;  and 
probably,  in  some  way  not  yet  sufficiently  developed,  the  increased 
current  of  the  electric  fluid  may  have  much  to  do  with  it. 

HIDE-BOUI^D. 

This  is  not  so  much  a  dimhmtion  of  the  cellular  or  fatty  sub- 
stance between  the  skin  and  the  muscles  beneath,  as  it  is  an  al- 
teration in  the  skin  itself  It  is  a  hardness  and  unyieldingness 
of  the  skin  from  the  want  of  the  oily  matter  on  its  surface  and  its 
substance.  It  is  the  diflerence  that  is  presented  to  the  feeling  by 
well  curried  and  supple  leather,  and  that  which  has  become  dry 
and  unyielding. 

The  surface  of  the  skin  becoming  dry  and  hard,  the  scales  of 


408  HIDE -BOUND. 

the  cuticle  are  no  longer  penetrated  "by  the  hair,  but  separating 
themselves  in  every  direction,  give  that  peculiar  roughness  to  the 
coat  which  accompanies  want  of  condition.  It  betokens  impaired 
function  of  the  vessels  everywhere,  and  particularly  those  of  the 
stomach  and  bowels.  Hide-bound  is  not  so  much  a  disease  as  a 
symptom  of  disease,  and  particularly  of  the  digestive  organs  ;  and 
our  remedies  must  be  applied  not  so  much  to  the  skin — although 
we  have,  in  friction  and  in  warmth,  most  valuable  agents  in  pro- 
ducing a  healthy  condition  of  the  integuments — as  to  the  came 
of  the  hide-bound,  and  the  state  of  the  constitution  generally. 
Every  disease  that  can  affect  the  general  system  may  produce 
this  derangement  of  the  functions  of  the  skin.  Glanders,  when 
become  constitutional,  is  strongly  indicated  by  the  unthrifty  ap- 
pearance of  the  coat.  Chronic  cough,  grease,  farcy,  and  founder, 
are  accompanied  by  hide-bound  ;  and  diet  too  sparing,  and  not 
adequate  to  the  work  exacted,  is  an  unfailing  source  of  it.  If 
the  cause  is  removed,  the  effect  will  cease. 

Should  the  cause  be  obscure,  as  it  frequently  is — should  the 
horse  wear  an  unthrifty  coat,  and  his  hide  cling  to  his  ribs,  with- 
out any  apparent  disease,  we  shall  generally  be  warranted  in 
tracing  it  to  sympathy  with  the  actual,  although  not  demonstrable, 
suspension  of  some  important  secretion  or  function,  either  of  the 
alimentary  canal  or  the  respiratory  functions.  A  few  mashes,  and 
a  mild  dose  of  physic,  are  first  indicated,  and,  simple  as  they  ap- 
pear to  be,  they  often  have  a  very  beneficial  effect.  The  regular 
action  of  the  bowels  being  re-established,  that  of  all  the  organs 
of  the  frame  will  speedily  follow.  If  the  horse  cannot  be  spared 
for  physic,  alteratives  may  be  administered.  There  is  no  better 
alterative  for  hide-bound  and  an  unthrifty  coat,  than  that  which 
is  in  common  use,  pulverized  antimony,  nitre,  and  sulphur.  The 
peculiar  effect  of  the  antimony  and  sulphur,  and  electric  influ- 
ence on  the  skin,  with  that  of  the  sulphur  on  the  bowels,  and 
of  the  nitre  on  the  urinary  organs,  will  be  here  advantageously 
combined. 

Should  the  horse  not  feed  well,  and  there  is  no  indication  of 
fever,  a  slight  tonic  may  be  added,  as  gentian  or  ginger ;  but  in 
the  majority  of  cases,  attended  by  loss  of  condition  and  an  un- 
thrifty coat,  and  hide-bound,  tonics  and  aromatics  should  be  care- 
fully avoided. 

The  cause  of  the  impaired  action  of  the  vessels  being  removed, 
the  powers  of  nature  will  generally  be  sufficient,  and  had  better 
be  left  to  themselves.  There  are  not  any  more  dangerous  medi- 
cines in  common  use  in  the  stable,  and  especially  in  cases  like 
these,  than  tonics  and  cordials.  They  often  arouse  to  fatal  action 
a  tendency  to  fever  that  would  otherwise  have  slept,  or  they  pro- 
duce a  state  of"  excitement  near  akin  to  fever,  and  apt  to  degen- 


PORES   OF    THE    SKIN  409 

erate  into  it.  By  tlie  stimulus  of  a  cordial,  the  secretions  may 
be  suddenly  roused,  and  among  them,  this  unctuous  secretion  from 
the  pores  of  the  skin,  so  necessary  to  apparent  condition  ;  but  the 
efiect  soon  passes  over,  and  a  repetition  of  the  stimulus  is  neces- 
sary— the  habit  is  soon  formed — the  dose  must  be  gradually  in- 
creased, and  in  the  mean  time  the  animal  is  kept  in  a  state  of 
dangerous  excitement,  by  which  the  powers  of  nature  must  be 
eventually  impaired. 

Friction  may  be  employed  with  advantage  in  the  removal  of  hide- 
bound. It  has  repeatedly  been  shown  that  this  is  one  of  the  most 
efficacious  instruments  we  can  use,  to  call  into  exercise  the  sus- 
pended energies  either  of  the  absorbent  or  secreting  vessels. 
Warmth  may  likewise  he  had  recourse  to — not  Avarmth  of  stable, 
which  has  been  shown  to  be  so  injurious,  but  warmth  arising 
from  exercise,  and  the  salutary,  although  inexplicable,  influenct 
of  clippmg  and  smgeing. 


PORES  OF  THE  SKIN. 

Besides  the  openings  already  mentioned,  through  which  pro- 
ceeds the  unctuous  fluid  that  supplies  and  softens  the  skin,  there 
are  others  more  numerous,  by  means  of  which  a  vast  quantity  of 
aqueous  fluid  escapes,  and  perspiration  is  carried  on. 

This  process  of  perspiration  is  not,  however,  so  far  under  the 
control  of  medicine  as  in  the  human  being. ^ 

We  are  not  aware  of  any  drugs  that  will  certainly  produce  it. 
Warm  clothing  seems  occasionally  to  effect  it,  but  this  is  more 
in  appearance  than  reality.  The  insensible  perspiration  cannot 
escape  through  the  mass  of  clothing,  and  assumes  a  visible  form. 
There  are,  however,  a  few  medicines,  as  antimony  and  sulphur, 
that  have  an  evident  and  very  considerable  effect  on  the  skin,  in 
opening  its  pores  and  exciting  its  vessels  to  action. 

Of"  the  existence  of  absorbent  vessels  on  the  skin,  or  those 
which  take  up  some  fluid  or  substance,  and  convey  it  into  the 
circulation,  we  have  satisfactory  proof  A  horse  is  even  more 
easily  salivated  than  the  human  being.  Salivation  has  been  pro- 
duced by  rubbing  a  splint  with  mercurial  ointment,  previous  to 
blistering  ;  and  a  very  few  drachms  rubbed  on  the  inside  of  the 
thighs,  will  probably  produce  a  greater  efiect  than  the  practitioner 
desires. 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — Although  the  same  medicines  will  not  pro- 
duce this  effect,  yet  those  that  come  under  the  designation  of  diffusible 
stimulants,  will.  Thus,  a  large  dose  of  spirit  of  nitrous  ether  will  often  pro- 
duce perspiration;  and  so,  likewise,  w^ll  the  spirit  of  hartshorn,  and  even 
vinegar. 

R 


410  MOULTING. 


MOULTING. 


Twice  in  the  year,  the  hair  of  the  body  of  the  horso  is  changed. 
The  short,  fine  coat  of  summer  would  afford  Httle  protection 
against  the  winter,  and  that  of  the  winter  would  be  oppressive 
to  the  animal,  if  it  appeared  during  the  summer.  The  hair  of 
the  mane  and  tail  remains.  The  bulbous  root  of  the  hair  does 
not  die,  but  the  pulpy  matter  seems  to  be  removed  from  the  root 
of  the  hair,  which,  thus  deprived  of  its  nourishment,  perishes 
and  droj  off,  and  a  new  hair  springs  at  its  side  from  the  same 
bulb.  The  hair  which  is  produced  in  the  autumn,  is  evidently 
differ vi".£  from  that  which  grows  in  the  spring ;  it  is  coarser, 
thick(>:r,  and  not  so  glossy  as  the  other.  As  moulting  is  a  process 
extending  over  the  whole  of  the  skin,  and  requiring  a  very  con- 
siderable expenditure  of  vital  power,  the  health  of  the  animal  is 
generally  afiected  at  these  times.  That  energy,  and  nervous  vital 
influence,  which  should  support  the  whole  of  the  frame,  is  to  a 
great  degree  determined  to  the  skin,  and  the  animal  is  languid, 
and  unequal  to  much  hard  work.  He  perspires  greatly  wzth 
the  least  unusual  exertion,  and  if  he  is  pressed  beyond  his  strength, 
becomes  seriously  ill. 

The  treatment  which  the  groom  in  this  case  adopts,  is  most 
absurd  and  dangerous.  The  horse,  from  the  deranged  distribution 
of  vital  power,  is  disposed  to  fever,  or  he  labors  under  a  slight 
degree  of  fever,  sufficiently  indicated  by  the  increased  quicknea« 
of  pulse,  redness  of  nose,  and  heat  of  mouth.  The  lassitude  an4 
want  of  appetite  which  are  the  accompaniments  of  this  febrD^ 
state,  are  mistaken  for  debility  ;  and  cordials  of  various  kinds 
some  of  them  exceedingly  stimulating,  are  unsparingly  adminis- 
tered. At  length,  with  regard  to  the  hunter,  the  racer,  and  even 
in  the  hackney  and  the  carriage-horse,  the  scissors  or  the  lamp 
are  introduced,  and  a  new  method  is  established  of  guarding 
agamst  this  periodical  debility,  setting  at  defiance  the  occasional 
exposure  to  cold,  and  establishing  a  degree  of  health  and  strength 
previously  unknown.  Friction  may  be  allowed,  to  assist  the  fall- 
ing off  of  the  old  hair,  and  to  loosen  the  cuticle  for  the  appear- 
ance of  the  new  hair,  but  it  is  somewhat  more  gently  applied 
than  it  used  to  be.  The  curry-comb  is  in  a  great  measure  ban- 
ished, and  even  the  brush  is  not  applied  too  hard  or  too  long. 
The  old  hair  is  not  forced  off  before  the  young  hair  is  ready  to 
take  its  place. 

Nature  adapts  the  coat  to  the  climate  and  to  the  season.  The 
Sheltie  has  one  as  long  and  thick  as  that  of  a  bear  ;  and,  as  the 
summer  is  short  and  cold  in  those  northern  islands,  the  coat  is 
cough  and  shaggy  during  the  whole  of  the  year.     In  the  southern 


COLOR.  411 

parts  sf  our  country,  the  short,  and  light  and  glossy  coat  of  sum 
mer  gradually  yields  to  the  close  and  heavy,  and  warm  clothing 
of  winter.  In  the  deserts  of  Arabia,  where  the  winter  is  rarely 
cold,  the  coat  remains  short  and  glossy  throughout  the  year. 
These  are  wise  and  kind  provisions  of  nature,  and  exoite  our  ad 
miration.* 

COLOR. 

The  color  of  the  hair  admits  of  every  variety,  and  each  color 
becomes  in  turn  fashionable.  Like  that  of  the  skin,  it  is  influ- 
enced by,  or  depends  on,  the  mucous  mesh- work  under  the  cuticle. 
There  are  comparatively  few  perfectly  white  horses  now  remain- 
ing. Tlie  majority  of  white  horses  are  those  that  have  become 
so.  Light-grey  colts  begin  to  grow  white  before  they  are  five 
years  old,  especially  if  they  have  not  much  dark  mixture  about 
the  joints. 

Grey  horses  are  of  diflerent  shades,  from  the  lightest  silver  to 
a  dark  iron-grey.  The  silver-grey  reminds  the  observer  of  the 
palfrey,  improved  by  an  admixture  of  Arab  blood.  He  does  not 
often  exceed  fourteen  hands  and  a  half  in  height,  and  is  round 
carcassed — thin-legged — with  oblique  pasterns,  calculated  for  a 
light  carriage,  or  for  a  lady's  riding — seldom  subject  to  disease — 
but  not  very  fleet,  or  capable  of  hard  work. 

The  iron-grey  is  usually  a  larger  horse  ;  higher  in  the  withers, 
deeper  and  thinner  in  the  carcass,  more  angular  in  all  his  propor- 
tions, and  in  many  cases  a  little  too  long  in  the  legs.  Some  of 
these  greys  make  good  hackneys  and  hunters,  and  especially  the 
Irish  horses ;  but  they  are  principally  used  for  the  carriage.  They 
have  more  endurance  than  the  flatness  of  their  chest  would  pro- 
mise ;  but  their  principal  defect  is  their  feet,  which  are  liable  to 
contraction,  and  yet  that  contraction  not  so  often  accompanied  by 
lameness  as  in  m.any  other  horses. 

The  dappled  grey  is  generally  a  handsom.er  and  a  better  horse 

*  Note  by  Mr,  Spooner. — We  must  protest  against  the  idea  that  a  horse 
v'ith  a  long  coat,  however  fed  and  trained,  is  in  as  good  condition,  or  capable 
of  as  great  exertion,  as  a  horse  with  a  sleek  glossy  coat.  As  M'ell  may  a 
man  with  a  great  coat  on  attempt  to  run  a  race  with  another  stripped  al- 
most to  the  skin.  This  fact  it  is  which  has  led  to  the  now  general  practice 
of  clipping  or  singeing,  by  which  the  coats  of  coarse-skinned  horses  are  re- 
moved, and  the  horses  put  on  a  par  with  sleek  skinned  animals,  without  the 
necessity  of  very  hot  stables,  and  a  long  course  of  preparatory  treatment. 
The  advantages  of  clipping  are  great;  perspiration  is  considerably  lessened, 
the  horse  is  soon  brought  into  condition,  and  grooming  is  greatly  facilitated, 
without  unnecessary  irritation ;  indeed,  the  quickest  method  is  to  wash  the 
skin  while  the  animal  is  somewhat  warm,  with  warm  water  (and  soap  if  ne- 
cessary), and  then  scrape  the  skin,  and  throw  a  horse-cloth  on  the  body, 
which,  in  the  coui'se  of  ten  minutes,  will  be  found  dry  and  comfortable. 


412  COLOR. 

All  the  angulai  points  of  the  iron-grey  are  filled  up,  and  with 
that  which  not  jniy  cAds  to  symmetry,  but  to  use.  Whether  as 
a  hackney,  or,  the  larger  variety,  a  carriage-horse,  there  are  few 
better,  especially  since  his  form  lias  been  so  materially  improved, 
and  so  much  of"  his  heaviness  got  rid  of,  by  the  free  use  of  foreign 
blood.  There  are  not,  however,  so  many  dappled  greys  as  there 
ased  to  be,  since  the  bays  have  been  bred  with  so  much  care. 
The  dappled  grey,  if  dark  at  first,  generally  retains  his  color  to 
old  age. 

Some  of  the  greys  approach  to  a  nutmeg,  or  even  hsij  color. 
Many  of  these  are  handsome,  and  most  of  them  are  hardy. 

The  roans,  of  every  variety  of  color  and  form,  are  composed  of 
white  mixed  with  bay,  or  red,  or  black.  In  some  it  seems  to  be 
a  natural  mixture  of  the  colors  ;  in  others  it  appears  as  if  one 
color  was  powdered  or  sprinkled  over  another.  They  are  pretty 
horses  for  ladies  or  light  carriages,  and  many  of  them  easy  in 
their  paces,  but  they  do  not  usually  display  much  blood,  nor  are 
they  celebrated  for  endurance.  If  they  should  have  white  fore 
legs,  with  white  hoofs,  they  are  too  often  tender-footed,  or  become 
BO  with  even  a  little  hard  work. 

The  strawberry  horse  is  a  mixture  of  sorrel  with  white ;  usu- 
ally handsome  and  pleasant,  but  more  celebrated  for  these  quali 
ties  than  for  strength  and  endurance. 

The  pied  horse  is  one  that  has  distinct  spots  or  patches  of  dif- 
ferent colors,  but  generally  of  white  with  some  other  color.  They 
are  not  liked  as  hackneys,  on  account  of  their  peculiarity  of  color, 
nor  in  teams  of  horses  ;  but  they  look  well  when  tolerably  matched 
in  a  phaeton  or  light  carriage.  Their  value  must  depend  on  theii 
breed.  Of  themselves  they  have  no  peculiar  character,  except  thai 
a  white  leg  and  foot  is  as  suspicious  in  them  as  it  is  in  the  roan. 

The  dun,  of  the  Galloway  size,  and  with  considerable  blood,  is 
often  attached  to  the  curricle  or  the  plijeton.  The  larger  variety 
is  a  true  farmer's  or  miller's  horse,  with  no  great  speed  or  extra- 
ordinary strength,  yet  a  good-tempered,  good-feeling,  good-consti 
tutioned,  useful  horse  enough.  Varieties  of  the  dun,  shaded  with 
a  darker  color,  or  dappled,  and  with  some  breeding,  and  not  stand- 
ing too  high,  are  beautiful  animals,  and  much  sought  after  lor 
light  carriages. 

The  cream-color,  of  Hanoverian  extraction,  with  his  white  iris 
and  red  pupil,  is  appropriated  to  royal  use.  Attached  to  the  state- 
carriage  of  the  monarch,  he  is  a  superb  animal.  His  bulky,  yet 
perfectly-formed  body,  his  swelling  crest,  and  his  proud  and  loft;y 
action,  as  if  conscious  of  his  office,  qualify  him  for  the  service 
that  is  exacted  from  him,  but  we  have  little  experience  how  far 
ne  would  suit  other  purposes. 

Of  the  chestnuts  there  are  three  varieties — the  pale  red  or  the 


COLOR.  413 

sorrel,  usually  with  some  white,  either  on  the  face  or  the  legs — 
generally  lightly  made,  yet  some  of  them  bulky  enough  for  the 
heaviest  loads.  Tlieir  color  is  generally  objectionable,  and  thcv 
are  supposed  to  be  somewhat  deficient  in  eiubirance. 

Tiie  light  chestnut,  with  less  red  and  a  little  more  bay  or  brown, 
is  considered  a  preferable  animal,  especially  if  he  has  little  or  no 
white  about  him  ;  yet  even  he,  although  pleasant  to  ride,  is  some- 
times irritable,  and  generally  weak.  We  must  except  one  variety, 
the  Suiiblk  punch  ;  a  heavy  horse,  and  adapted  ibr  slow  work, 
but  perfect  of  his  kind — whom  no  labor  can  daunt,  no  fatigue 
overcome.  This  is  a  breed  now,  imibrtunately,  nearly  extinct. 
The  present  variety,  however  crossed,  is  not  equal  to  the  old 
Suffolk. 

The  dark  chestnut  is  as  different  a  horse  from  the  hackney-like 
chestnut  as  can  be  well  imagined  ;  round  in  the  carcase  ;  pow- 
erful in  the  quarters,  but  rather  fine  in  the  legs  ;  possessed  of 
great  endurance,  and  with  a  constitution  that  rarely  knows  an 
ailment,  except  that  the  feet  are  small  and  disposed  to  contrac- 
tion, and  the  horse  is  occasionally  of  a  hot  and  unmanageable 
temper. 

Of  the  bays,  there  are  many  varieties,  and  they  include  the 
very  best  of  our  horses  of  every  description.  The  bright  yellow 
bay,  although  very  beautiful,  and  especially  if  his  mane  and  tail 
are  black,  is  the  least  valuable — the  lightness  of"  his  color  seems 
to  give  him  some  tenderness  of  constitution.  The  pure  bay,  with 
no  white  about  him,  and  black  from  the  knees  and  hocks  to  the 
feet,  is  the  most  desirable  of  all.  He  has  generally  a  good  con- 
stitution, and  good  feet ;  and,  if  his  conformation  is  not  faulty, 
will  turn  out  a  valuable  horse  for  almost  eveiy  purpose. 

The  bay-brown  has  not  always  so  much  show  and  action,  buf, 
generally,  more  strength  and  endurance,  and  usefulness.  He  has 
greater  substance  than  the  lighter  bay,  and  more  depth  of  leg  ; 
and,  if  he  had  the  same  degree  of  breeding,  he  would  be  as  hand- 
some and  more  valuable. 

When,  however,  we  arrive  at  the  browns,  it  is  necessary  to 
examine  the  degree  of  breeding.  This  color  is  not  so  fashionable, 
and  therefore  these  horses  have  been  considerably  neglected. 
There  are  many  good  ones,  and  those  that  are  good  are  val. 
uable  ;  others,  probably,  are  only  half  or  a  quarter  bred,  and 
therefore  comparatively  coarse,  yet  useful  for  the  saddle  and  for 
harness — for  slow  Avork,  and,  occasionally,  for  that  which  is  more 
rapid. 

The  black-brown  is  generally  more  neglected  so  far  as  its  breed 
is  concerned,  and  should  be  more  carefulh'  examined.  It  is  val- 
uable if  it  retains  the  goodness  of  constitution  of  the  brown  and 
bay-brown. 


414  COLOR. 

Of  the  black,  greater  care  has  been  taken.  The  heavy  black 
of  liincolnshire  and  the  midland  counties  is  a  noble  animal,  and 
would  be  almost  beyond  price  if  he  could  be  rendered  more  ac 
live.  The  next  in  size  constitute  the  majority  of  our  wagon- 
horses,  and  perhaps  our  best ;  and,  on  a  smaller  breed,  and  to 
the  improvement  of  which  much  attention  has  been  devoted, 
nany  of  our  cavalry  are  mounted.  A  few  black  thoroug-]i-bred 
horses  and  black  hunters  are  occasionally  seen,  but  the  improve- 
ment of  horses  of  this  color  has  not  been  studied,  except  for  the 
purposes  that  have  been  mentioned.  Their  peculiar  high  action, 
while  not  objectionable  for  draught,  and  desirable  for  the  parade, 
would  be  unbearable  in  the  roadster.  Black  horses  have  been 
said  to  be  more  subject  to  vice,  disease,  and  blindness,  than  those 
of  any  other  color.  This  charge  is  not  true  to  its  full  extent ; 
but  there  certainly  are  a  great  many  worthless  black  horses  in 
in  every  part  of  the  country. 

After  all,  there  is  an  old  saying,  that  a  good  horse  cannot  be 
a  bad  color ;  and  that  it  is  far  more  necessary  to  attend  to  the 
conformation  and  points  of  the  animal  than  to  his  color.  The 
foregoing  observations,  however,  although  they  admit  of  many 
exceptions,  may  be  useful  m  guiding  to  the  judicious  purchase 
of  the  horse. ^ 

*  Note  hj  Mr.  Spooner. — Color. — We  do  not  consider  that  the  size,  con- 
formation, and  qualitications  of  hors^es  depend  so  much  on  the  color  as  the 
text  would  imply.  We  have  found  both  good  and  bad  horses  of  every 
color,  and  the  only  rule  we  can  admit  as  correct  is,  that  certain  colors  denote 
deficient  breeding,  ami  therefore  such  animal  is  not  likely  to  be  so  good  as 
he  looks,  but  is  probably  deficient  in  bottom  or  the  powers  of  endurance. 
These  colors  are  black,  whicli  prevails  so  much  with  cart-horses,  and  sorrel, 
dun,  piebald,  ttc. ;  the  possessors  of  which  come  from  the  north,  and  possess 
no  eastern  blood.  Black  horses,  unless  evidently  high  bred,  are  very  oftei). 
soft  and  sluggish,  with  breeding  insufficient  for  their  work  ;  the  pedigree  of 
the  majority  of  them  may  be  dated  from  the  plough-tail,  whatever  admix- 
tures there  may  have  been  since.  White  hair  denotes  a  thin  skin,  which  is 
objectionable,  when  it  prevails  on  the  legs  of  horses,  as  such  animals  are 
moie  disposed  to  swelled  legs  and  cracked  heels  than  others.  Bay  horses 
with  black  legs  are  greatly  esteemed,  and  yet  we  have  known  many 
determined  slugs  of  this  hue.  Their  constitution  is,  however,  almost  inva- 
riably good.  Chestnut  is  the  prevailing  color  with  our  race-horses,  and  con- 
sequently chestnut  horses  are  generally  pretty  well  bred,  and  possess  the 
good  and  bad  qualities  which  obtain  most  amongst  thorough- breds.  The 
Suffolk  cart-norse  is  also  distinguished  b}^  his  light  chestnut  color :  and  it  ia 
no  small  recommendation  to  find  that  this  br^ed  has,  for  several  years  past< 
carried  away  tlie  principal  prizes  at  the  animal  shows  of  the  Royal  Agricul 
tural  Society  of  Enghiud. 

Gray  is  a  very  good  color,  and  one  which  has  become  very  fashionable 
for  carriage  and  phaiton  horses  during  the  present  reign.  Her  Majesty's 
ponies,  as  they  are  still  called,  although  they  have  increased  in  height  from 
thirteen  to  fifteen  hands,  are  beautiful  specimens  of  this  color,  and  have 
rendered  the  color  fashionable  for  harneiss  purposes.     These  horses  have  a 


SURFEIT.  4  Id 


SURFEIT. 


Lai-f^e  pimples  or  eruptions  often  appear  suddenly  on  the  skin 
of  the  horse,  and  especially  in  the  spring  of  the  year.  Occasion- 
ally they  disappear  as  quickly  as  they  came.  (Sometimes  they 
S^em  to  be  attended  with  great  itching,  but  at  other  times,  the  an- 
noyance is  comparatively  little.  When  these  eruptions  have 
remained  a  few  days,  the  cuticle  frequently  peels  ofi",  and  a  small 
scaly  spot — rarely  a  sore — is  left.  This  is  called  a  surfeit,  from 
its  resemblance  to  some  eruptions  on  the  skin  of  the  human  being 
when  mdigestible  or  unwholesome  food  has  been  taken.  The 
surfeit  is,  in  some  cases,  confined  to  the  neck  ;  but  it  ofteuei 
spreads  over  the  sides,  back,  loins,  and  quarters.  The  cause  is 
enveloped  in  some  obscurity.  The  disease  most  frequently  appears 
when  the  skin  is  irritable  during  or  after  the  process  of  moulting, 
or  when  it  sympathizes  with  any  disorder  of  the  stomach.  It 
has  been  known  to  follow  the  eating  of  poisonous  herbs  or  mow- 
burnt  hay,  but,  much  oftener,  it  is  to  be  traced  to  exposure  to 
cold  when  the  skin  was  previously  irritable  and  the  horse  heated 
by  exercise.  It  has  also  been  attributed  to  the  immoderate  drink- 
ing of  cold  water  when  the  animal  was  hot.  It  is  obstruction  of 
some  of  the  pores  of  the  skin  and  swelling  of  the  surrounding  sub- 
stance, either  from  primary  affection  of  the  skin,  or  a  plethoric 
state  of  the  system,  or  sympathy  with  the  digestive  organs. 

The  state  of  the  patient  will  sufficiently  guide  the  surgeon  as 
to  the  course  he  should  pursue.  If  there  is  simple  eruption, 
without  any  marked  inflammatory  action,  alteratives  should  be 
resorted  to,  and  particularly  those  recommended  for  hide-bound 
in  page  407.  They  should  be  given  on  several  successive  nights. 
The  night  is  better  than  the  morning,  because  the  warmth  of  the 
stable  will  cause  the  antimony  and  sulphur  to  act  more  power- 
fully on  the  skin.     The  horse  should  be  warmly  clothed — half  an 

considerable  admixture  of  eastern  blood,  and  most  of  them  are  immediately 
derived  from  an  Arab  or  a  Turkish  horse.  This,  indeed,  is  the  principal  or 
only  use  of  the  eastern  horse  in  this  country.  It  is  vain  to  expect  any 
miprovement  in  the  speed  of  our  race-horses  from  foreign  admixture,  for 
every  attempt  of  the  kind  for  some  years  past  has  been  unsuccessful.  The 
circular  carcase,  arched  neck,  good  shoulders  and  fore  legs,  high  and  excel- 
lent trotting  action,  are,  however,  qualifications  which  our  thorough-breds 
cannot  supply,  and  are  truly  valuable  in  animals  required  for  gettmg  car- 
riage-horses. The  white  Arabian  horse  is,  therefore,  the  very  animal  re- 
quired for  getting  phseton  horses,  and,  if  put  to  large  mares,  are  also  well 
adapted  for  perpetuating  handsome  and  valuable  carriage-horses.  There 
are  also  some  excellent  cart-horses  of  a  gray  color ;  some  of  massive  propor 
tions,  and  others  of  moderate  size,  and  more  active.  The  iron  grays  and 
roans  are  generally  cleaner  about  the  legs,  and  more  compact  than  the 
mottled  greys. 


416  MANGE. 

hour's  walking  exercise  should  be  given,  an  additional  rug  thrown 
over  him — such  green  feed-  as  can  be  procured  should  be  used  in 
moderate  quantities,  and  the  chill  should  be  taken  from  the 
water. 

Should  the  eruption  continue  or  assume  a  more  violent  charac- 
ter, bleeding  and  aloes  must  be  had  recourse  to,  but  neither 
should  be  carried  to  any  extreme.  The  physic  havnig  set,  the  al- 
teratives should  again  be  had  recourse  to,  and  attention  should 
be  paid  to  the  comfort  and  diet  of  the  horse. 

If  the  eruption,  after  several  of  these  alternative  appearan  jes 
and  disappearances,  should  remain,  and  the  cuticle  and  the  hair 
begin  extensively  to  peel  off,  a  worse  affection  is  to  be  feared,  for 
surfeit  is  too  apt  to  precede,  or  degenerate  into,  mange.  This  dis- 
order, therefore,  must  next  be  considered. 

MANGE 

Is  a  pimpled  or  vesicular  eruption.  After  a  while  the  vesicles 
break,  or  the  cuticle  and  the  hair  fall  off,  and  there  is,  as  in  ob- 
stinate surfeit,  a  bare  spot  covered  with  scurf — some  fluid  oozing 
from  the  skin  beneath,  and  this  changing  to  a  scab,  which  like- 
•  wise  soon  peels  off,  and  leaves  a  wider  spot.  This  process  is  at- 
tended by  considerable  itching  and  tenderness,  and  thickening  of 
the  skin,  which  soon  becomes  more  or  less  folded,  or  puckered. 
The  mange  generally  first  appears  on  the  neck  at  the  root  of"  tht; 
mane,  and  its  existence  may  be  susnected  even  before  the  blotches 
appear,  and  when  there  is  only  considerable  itchiness  of  the  part, 
by  the  ease  with  which  the  short  hair  at  the  root  of  the  mane 
is  plucked  out.  From  the  neck  it  spreads  upward  to  the  head, 
or  downward  to  the  withers  and  back,  and  occasionally  extends 
over  the  whole  carcass  of  the  horse. 

One  cause  of  it,  although  an  unfrequent  one,  has  been  stated 
to  be  neglected  or  inveterate  surfeit.  Several  instances  are  on 
record  in  which  poverty  of  condition,  and  general  neglect  of 
cleanliness,  preceded  or  produced  the  most  violent  mange.  A 
remark  of  Mr.  Blaine  is  very  important: — "Among  the  truly 
healthy,  so  far  as  my  experience  goes,  it  never  arises  spontane- 
ously, but  it  does  readily  form  a  spontaneous  origin  among  the 
unhealthy."  The  most  common  cause  is  contagion.  Amidst  the 
whole  list  of  diseases  to  which  the  horse  is  exposed,  there  is  not 
one  more  highly  contagious  than  mange.  If  it  once  gets  into  a 
stable,  it  spreads  through  it,  for  the  slightest  contact  seems  suffi- 
cient for  the  communication  of  this  noisome  complaint. 

If  the  same  brush  and  currycomb  is  used  on  all  the  horses,  the 
propagation  of  mange  is  assured ;  and  horses  feeding  in  the  same 
pasture  with  a  mangy  one  rarely  escape,  from  the  propensity  they 


MANGE.  417 

have  to  nibble  one  another.  Mange  in  cattle  has  been  propagated 
to  the  horse,  and  from  the  horse  to  cattle.  There  are  also  some 
well-authenticated  instances  of  the  same  disease  being  connuuni- 
cated  from  the  dog  to  the  horse,  but  not  from  the  horse  to  the  dog. 

Mange  has  been  said  to  originate  in  want  of  cleanliness  in  the 
management  of  the  stable.  The  comfort  and  the  health  of  tlic 
horse  demand  the  strictest  cleanliness.  The  eyes  and  the  lungy 
frequently  suffer  from  the  noxious  fumes  of  the  purifying  dung 
and  urine  ;  but,  in  defiance  of  common  prejudice,  there  is  no  au- 
thentic instance  of  mange  being  the  result.  Poverty  and  starva- 
tion are  fruitful  sources  of  mange,  but  it  does  not  appear  that 
filth  has  much  to  do  with  it,  although  poverty  and  filth  generally 
go  hand  in  hand. 

The  propriety  of  bleeding  in  cases  of  mange  depends  on  the  con- 
dition of  the  patient.  If  mange  is  the  result  of  poverty,  and  the 
animal  is  much  debilitated,  bleeding  will  increase  tlie  evil,  and 
will  probably  deprive  the  constitution  of  the  power  of  rallying. 
Physic,  however,  is  indispensable  in  every  case.  A  mercurial 
ball  will  be  preferable  to  a  common  aloetic  one,  as  more  certain 
and  effectual  in  its  operation,  and  the  mercury  probably  having 
some  influence  in  mitigating  the  disease.  In  this,  however, 
mange  in  the  horse  resembles  itch  in  the  human  being — medicine 
alone  will  never  effect  a  cure.  There  must  be  some  local  appli- 
?,ation.  There  is  this  additional  similarity — that  which  is  most 
ofiectual  in  curing  the  itch  in  the  human  being  must  form  the 
basis  of  every  local  application  for  the  cure  of  mange  in  the  horse 
Sulphur  is  indispensable  in  every  ointment  for  mange.  It  is  the 
sheet-anchor  of  the  veterinary  surgeon.  In  an  early  and  not  very 
acute  state  of  mange,  equal  portions  of  sulphur,  turpentine,  and 
train-oil,  gently  but  well  rubbed  on  the  part,  will  be  applied  with 
advantage.  Farriers  are  fond  of  the  black  sulphur,  but  that  which 
consists  of  earthy  matter,  with  the  mere  dregs  of  various  substan- 
ces, cannot  be  so  efTectual  as  the  pure  sublimed  sulphur.  A  tol- 
erably stout  brush,  or  even  a  curry-comb,  lightly  applied,  should 
be  used,  in  order  to  remove  the  dandriH^or  scurf",  wherever  there 
is  any  appearance  of  mange.  After  that,  the  horse'  should  be 
washed  with  strong  soap  and  water  as  far  as  the  disease  has  ex- 
tended ;  and,  when  he  has  been  thoroughly  dried,  the  ointment 
should  be  well  rubbed  in  with  the  naked  hand,  or  with  a  piece 
of  flannel.  More  good  will  be  done  by  a  little  of  the  ointment 
being  well  rubbed  in,  than  by  a  great  deal  being  smeared  over 
the  part.      The  rubbing  should  be  daily  repeated. 

During  the  application  of  the  ointment,  and  as  soon  as  the  physic 
has  set,  an  alterative  ball  or  powder,  similar  to  those  recommend- 
ed for  the  other  affections  of  the  skin,  should  be  daily  given.     If, 

after  some  days  have  passed,  no  progress  should  apj-ear  to  hav* 
27  1. 


418  MANGE. 

been  .tiade,  half  a  pound  of  sulphur  should  be  well  mixed  with  a 
pint  of  oil  of  tar,  or,  if  thai  is  not  to  be  obtained,  a  pint  of  Barba- 
boes  tar,  and  tlie  ah'ected  parts  rubbed,  as  before.  On  every  fiith 
or  sixth  day,  the  ointmeni  snould  be  washed  off  with  warm  soap 
and  water.  The  prop:ress  towards  cure  will  thus  be  ascertained, 
and  the  skin  will  be  cleansed,  and  its  pores  opened  for  the  more 
effectual  application  of  the  ointment. 

The  horse  should  be  well  supplied  with  nourishing,  but  not 
stimulating  food.  As  much  green  feed  as  he  will  eat  should  be 
given  to  him,  or,  what  is  far  better,  he  should  be  turned  out,  ii 
the  weather  is  not  too  cold.  It  may  be  useful  to  add,  that,  alter 
the  horse  has  been  once  well  dressed  with  either  of  these  liniments, 
the  danger  of  contagion  ceases.  It  is  necessary,  however,  to  be 
assured  that  every  mangy  place  has  been  anointed.  It  will  be 
prudent  to  give  two  or  three  dressings  after  the  horse  has  been  ap- 
parently cured,  and  to  continue  the  alteratives  for  ten  days  or  a 
fortnight. 

The  cure  being  completed,  the  clothing  of  the  horse  should  be 
well  soaked  in  water,  to  which  a  fortieth  part  of  the  saturated  so- 
lution of  the  chloride  of  lime  has  been  a  Ided  ;  after  which  i* 
should  be  washed  with  soap  and  water,  and  again  washed  ana 
soaked  in  a  solution  of  the  chloride  of  lime.  Every  part  of  the 
harness  should  undergo  a  similar  purification.  The  curry-comb 
may  be  scoured  but  the  brush  should  be  burned.  The  rack  and 
manger,  and  partitions,  and  every  part  of  the  stable  which  the 
horse  could  possibly  have  touched,  should  be  well  washed  with  a 
hair-broom — a  pint  of  the  chloride  of  lime  being  added  to  three 
gallons  of  water.  All  the  wood-work  should  then  be  scoured  with 
soap  and  water,  after  which  a  second  washing  with  the  chloride 
of  lime  will  render  all  secure. 

Every  case  of  itchiness  of  the  skin  should  be  regarded  with  sus- 
picion. When  a  horse  is  seen  to  rub  the  root  of  his  tail,  or  his 
head,  or  neck,  against  the  manger,  the  parts  should  be  carefully 
examined.  Some  of  the  hair  m^ay  have  been  rubbed  or  torn  otf, 
but  if  the  roots  remain  firmly  adherent,  and  there  is  only  rediirss 
and  not  scurfiness  of  the  skin,  it  probably  is  not  mange,  but  only 
inflammation  of  the  skin,  from  too  great  fulness  of  blood.  A  lit- 
tle blood  should  be  abstracted — a  purgative  administered — and 
the  alteratives  given.  The  mange  ointrnxcnt  caimot  do  harm,  and 
may  possibly  prevent  this  heat  of  the  skin  from  degenerating  into 
mange,  or  arrest  the  progress  of  mange  if  it  has  commenced.  If 
a  scurfiness  of  the  skin  should  appear  on  any  of  the  points  that 
are  pressed  upon  by  the  collar  or  harness,  the  veterinary  surgeon 
will  do  right  to  guard  against  danger  by  alterative  medicine  and 
the  use  of  the  ointment.  =^ 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — "We  have  only  tc»  remark,  that  the  adniiniatratioti 


WARTS VERMIN.  419 


WARTS. 

These  are  occasionally  found  on  all  parts  of  the  horse.  There 
are  some  caustics  available,  but  frequently  they  must  be  removed 
by  an  operation.  If  the  root  is  very  small,  it  may  be  snipped 
asunder,  close  to  the  skin,  with  a  pair  of  scissors,  and  touched 
with  the  lunar  caustic.  If  the  pedicle  or  stem  is  somewhat  larger, 
a  ligature  of  waxed  silk  should  be  passed  firmly  round  it,  and  tight- 
ened every  day.  The  source  of  nutriment  being  thus  removed,  the 
tumor  will,  in  a  short  time,  die  and  drop  off.  If  the  warts  are  large, 
or  in  considerable  clusters,  it  will  be  necessary  to  cast  the  horse, 
in  order  to  cut  them  off  close  to  the  skin  :  the  root  should  then 
be  seared  with  a  red-hot  iron.  Unless  these  precautions  are  used, 
the  warts  will  speedily  sprout  again. 

VERMIN. 

Both  the  biped  and  the  quadruped  are  subject  to  the  visitation 
of  insects  that  fasten  on  the  skin,  and  are  a  constant  nuisance 
from  the  itchiness  which  they  occasion.  If  the  horse,  after  being 
turned  out  for  the  winter,  is  taken  up  in  the  spring  long  and  rough 
in  his  coat,  and  poor  in  condition,  and  with  evident  hide-bound,  he 
will  almost  invariably  be  afflicted  with  vermin. 

In  our  present  imperfect  acquaintance  with  natural  history,  it 
IS  difficult  to  account  for  the  appearance  of  certain  insects,  and  of 
diose  alone,  on  the  integument  of  one  animal,  while  others  of  an 
altogether  different  character  are  Ibund  on  its  neighbor.  Each 
one  has  a  tormentor  peculiar  to  itself. 

The  vermin  of  the  horse  is  destroyed  by  an  infusion  of  tobacco 
or  a  solution  of  corrosive  sublimate,  the  latter  requiring  the  great- 
est caution.  The  skin  being  once  cleansed  of  them,  an  attention 
to  cleanliness  will  prevent  their  reappearance. 

of  mercurial  physic  requires  extreme  caution  in  this  disease.  We  h:'ve 
known  horses  very  low  in  condition  killed  by  this  means,  and  we  doubt  tne 
necessity  of  the  purge.  Topical  treatment  is  the  principal  remedy,  and  it  i-* 
also  well  to  administer  sulphur  internally  at  the  same  time. 

There  is  a  disease  very  much  resembling  the  mange,  which  we  occasionally 
meet  with.  The  horse  is  affected  with  the  most  violent  itching,  and  the 
hair  is  often  rubbed  off,  but  the  skin  does  not  become  wrinkled,  as  in 
mange.  Though  this  disease  often  appears  to  yield  to  the  same  topical 
treatment  as  the  mange,  yet,  in  some  instances,  it  is  incurable,  and  continue' 
tlirough  life. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


ON  SOUNDNESS,  AND  THE  PURCHASE  AND  SALE  OF  HORSES. 

[This  chapter  is  given  nearly  entire,  as  in  the  original,  and  in 
the  remarks  on  warranty,  &c.,  entire,  because  it  is  believed  to 
give  a  luminous  exposition  of  what  equity  in  all  cases  demands 
in  regard  to  the  matters  of  which  it  treats.  It  constitutes  there- 
fore the  proper  basis  of  amicable  settlement  between  gentlemen, 
in  all  countries,  where  tlie  purchaser  of  the  horse  alleges  a 
violation  of  warranty  ;  and  the  basis  of  proper  adjudication 
where  an  action  is  commenced  for  fraud.  In  some  of  the 
States  of  the  Union,  there  may  be  statutes  or  judicial  decisions 
which  would  vary  from  the  English  ones  cited  on  the  subject  of 
warranty,  fraud,  and  as  to  what  constitutes  unsoundness, — but 
probably  in  most  cases,  they  will  be  found  substantially  the 
same. — Am.  Ed.] 

There  are  few  sources  of  greater  annoyance  both  to  the  pur- 
chaser and  the  seller  of  the  horse  than  disputes  with  regard  to 
the  soundness  of  the  animal. 

That  horse  is  sound  in  whom  there  is  no  disease,  and  no  alter- 
ation of  structure  that  impairs,  or  is  likely  to  impair,  his  natural 
usefulness.  The  horse  is  unsound  that  labors  under  disease,  or 
has  some  alteration  of  structure  which  docs  interfere,  or  is  likely 
to  interfere,  with  his  natural  usefulness.*  The  term  "  natural 
usefubiess "  must  be  borne  in  mind.  One  horse  may  possess 
great  speed,  but  is  soon  knocked  up ;  another  will  work  all  day, 
but  cannot  be  got  beyond  a  snail's  pace  :  a  third  with  a  heavy 

*  Since  the  publication  of  our  first  edition,  tliis  definition  or  rule  as  to 
soundness  or  unsoundness  has  received  very  high  judicinl  sanction.  Coates 
V.  Steplipus,  2  Moody  and  Robinson,  157,  Scholcjield  v.  Robh,  id.  210.  We 
eJiall  adhere  to  it  as  our  test  of  soundness  or  unsoundness  tlironghout  this 
chapter,  not  forgetting  what  is  said  in  the  following  extract  from  a  note  to 
one  of  these  cases.  "As  it  may  now  be  considered  as  settled  law,  that  the 
breach  of  a  warranty  or  soundness  does  not  entitle  the  purchaser  to  return 
the  horse,  but  only  to  recover  the  dilference  of  value  of  the  horse  with  or 
without  tlie  particrlar  unsoundness,  the  question  of  temixirary  nialadies, 
producing  no  permanent  deterioration  of  the  animal,  would,  generally 
speaking,  only  involve  a  right  to  damages  merely  nominal." 


SOUNDNESS RULES    FOR    PURCHASE.  4:<51 

forehand  is  liable  to  stumble,  and  is  continually  -aitting  to 
hazard  the  neck  of  his  rider ;  another,  with  an  irritable  consti- 
tution and  a  loose,  washy  form,  loses  his  appetite  and  beji^ins  to 
scour  if  a  litte  extra  work  is  exacted  from  him.  The  term  un- 
soundness must  not  be  applied  to  either  of  these  ;  it  would  be 
opening  far  too  widely  a  door  to  disputation  and  endless  wrang- 
ling. The  buyer  can  discern,  or  ought  to  know,  whether  the 
form  of  the  horse  is  that  which  will  render  him  likely  to  suit 
his  purpose,  and  he  should  try  him  sufiiciently  to  ascertain  his 
natural  strength,  endurance,  and  manner  of  going.  Unsound- 
ness, we  repeat,  has  reference  only  to  diseease,  or  to  that  al- 
teration of  structure  which  is  connected  with,  or  will  produce 
disease,  and  lessen  the  usefulness  of  the  animal. 

These  principles  will  be  best  illustrated  by  a  hrief  consider- 
ation of  the  usually  supposed  appearances  or  causes  of  unsound- 
ness. 

Broken  knees  certainly  do  not  constitute  unsoundness,  after 
tlie  wounds  are  healed,  unless  they  interfere  with  the  action  of 
the  joint ;  for  the  horse  may  have  fallen  from  mere  accident,  or 
through  the  fault  of  the  rider,  without  the  slightest  damage 
more  than  the  blemish.  No  person,  however,  would  buy  a 
horse  with  broken  knees,  until  he  has  thoroughly  tried  him,  and 
satisfied  himself  as  to  his  form  and  action. 

Capped  hocks  may  be  produced  by  lying  on  an  unevenly 
paved  stable,  with  a  scanty  supply  of  litter,  or  by  kicking  gen- 
erally, in  neither  of  which  cases  would  they  constitute  unsound- 
ness, although  in  the  latter  they  would  be  an  indication  of  vice  ; 
but,  in  the  majority  of  instances,  they  are  the  consequence  of 
sprain,  or  of  latent  injury  of  the  hock,  and  accompanied  by 
eidargement  of  it,  and  would  constitute  unsoundness.  A  special 
Warranty  should  always  be  taken  against  capped  hocks.*' 

Contraction  is  a  considerable  deviation  from  the  natural  form 
of  the  foot,  but  not  necessarily  constituting  unsoundness.  It  re- 
quires, however,  a  most  careful  examination  on  the  part  of  the 
purchaser  or  veterinary  surgeon,  in  order  to  ascertain  that  there 
is  no  heat  about  the  quarter,  or  ossification  of  the  cartilage — 
that  the  frog,  although  diminished  in  size,  is  not  diseased — that 


*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — Capped  hocks. — In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  these 
enlargements  are  occasioned  by  kicking  in  the  stall,  a  vice  altogether  differ- 
ent from  that  of  spitefulne^^s,  which  appears  to  arise  more  from  restless- 
ness than  anything  else.  The  swelling  consists  of  an  effusion  of  serum  or 
water  in  the  cellular  bag  which  is  found  beneath  the  skin  at  the  point  of 
the  hock,  placed  there  for  the  purpose  of  giving  facihty  of  motion. 

It  is  never  occasioned  by  strains,  therefore,  although  a  sad  blemish,  it 
should  not  be  regarded  as  an  unsoundness,  unless  accompanied  with  other 
indications  of  disease. 


422  SOUNDNESS RULES    I'OIl    rURCIIASL. 

the  horse  docs  not  sit'p  short  and  ^o  as  if  tho  loot  were  tender, 
and  that  there  is  not  the  sli«!:litest  traee  of  lameness.  Unless 
these  eircunistaiutes,  or  some  ot"  them,  are  detected,  a  horse  must 
uot  be  pronounced  to  be  unsound  because  his  leet  arc  contracted  ; 
for  many  horses  with  strangely  contracted  ieet  do  not  suller  at 
all  in  their  action.  A  special  warranty,  however,  should  be 
required  where  the  feet  are  at  all  contracted. 

Corns  manifestly  constitute  unsoundness.  The  portion  of  the 
foot  in  wliich  bad  corns  are  situated  will  not  bear  the  ordinary 
pressure  of  the  shoe  ;  and  accidental  additional  pressure  from  the 
p:r()win«!:  down  of  the  horn,  or  the  introduction  of  dirt  or  gravel, 
will  cause  serious  lameness.  They  render  it  necessary  to  wear 
;i  tliick  and  heavy  shoe,  or  a  bar-shoe,  in  order  to  protect  the 
weakened  and  diseased  part ;  and  they  are  very  seldom  radically 
cured.  There  may  be,  however,  and  frequently  is,  a  dilierence 
of  o})inion  as  to  the  actual  existence  or  character  of  the  corn. 
They  are  sometimes,  too,  so  slight  that  they  do  not  diminish  the 
value  oi'  the  horse,  and  will  disappear  on  the  horse  being  shod 
with  ordinary  skill  and  care,  even  without  any  alteration  in  the 
shoe. 

Cough. — This  is  a  disease,  and  consequently  unsoundness. 
However  slight  may  be  its  degree,  and  of  whatever  short  stand- 
ing it  may  be,  althougli  it  may  sometimes  scarcely  seem  to  inter 
lere  with  the  useiulness  of  the  horse,  yet  a  change  of  stabling 
or  slight  exposure  to  wet  and  cold,  or  the  least  over-exertioi/, 
may,  at  other  times,  cause  it  to  degenerate  into  many  dangerous 
comjilaints.  A  horse,  therefore,  should  never  be  purchased  with 
a  cough  upon  him,  without  a  special  warranty;  or  il^ — the 
cough  not  being  observed — he  is  ])urchased  under  a  general  war- 
ranty, that  warranty  is  thereby  broken.  It  is  not  law,  that  a 
Jiorse  may  be  returned  on  breach  of  the  warranty.  The  seller 
is  not  bounil  to  take  him  back,  unless  he  has  contracted  so  to  do ; 
but  he  is  liable  to  damages.  Lord  Ellenborough  has  completely 
decided  this  matter.  "1  have  always  held,"  said  he,  "that  a 
warranty  of  sounchiess  is  broken,  if  the  animal,  at  the  time  of 
sale,  had  any  infirmity  upon  him  that  rendered  him  less  fit  for 
present  service.  It  is  not  necessary  that  the  disorder  should  be 
permanent  or  incurable.  While  he  has  a  cough,  he  is  unsound, 
nlthough  tlnit  may  either  be  temporary  or  prove  mortal." 

Iii  deciding  on  another  case,  tlie  same  judge  said,  "  I  have  al- 
ways held  it  that  a  cough  is  a  breach  of  the  warranty.  On  that 
understanding  I  have  always  acted,  and  think  it  quite  clear."  It 
was  argued  on  the  other  liand  that  two-thirds  of  the  horses  in 
liondon  had  coughs,  yet  still  the  judge  maintained  that  the  cough 
was  a  breach  of  warranty.  When  it  was  larther  argued  that  the 
n(.rse  had  been  hunted  tlie  day  after  tho  purcliase,  and  tlie  ..ough 


SOUNDNESS. 


423 


mipht  have  boon  inoroasod  by  ibis,  ibo  ivi)ly  was  siiiirnbir,  but 
decisive.  "  Tbere  is  no  proof  tluit  be  woiibl  bave  «>ot  well  it"  ho 
had  not  been  bunted."  Tbiti  doetrine  is  condnned  by  Parke,  B., 
in  tbe  fust  ease  eited  in  p.  420. 

UOAUING,    WllKKZlNG,   VVlllSTLl  N(i,   11 IC  H-lU.OWINd  ,  aud  (JkUNT- 

ING,  bein<!^  tbo  result  ol  alteration  of  structure,  or  disease  in  some 
of  tbe  air-passao-es,  and  interfering-  with  tbe  perfect  Ireedcnn  of 
breatbinfj:,  es])ecially  wben  tbe  horse  is  put  on  bis  s])eed,  without 
doubt  constitute  unsoundness.  Tbere  are  decisious  to  the  contra- 
ry, which  are  now  universally  admitted  to  be  erroneous.  J)iU)Ki:N- 
wiNi)  is  still  more  decidedly  unsoundness.* 

OiiiiMUTiNc;. — Altli()uj>h  some  learned  judj^es  have  asserted 
that  crib-bitinjr  is  simply  a  trick  or  bad  habit,  it  must  be  re«rarded 
as  unsoundness.  This  unnatural  suckiu«i;  in  of  the  air  must,  to  a 
certain  dcfrree  injure  dijxestion.  It  must  disi)osc  to  colic,  and  so 
interfere  with  the  strenj^th,  and  usefulness,  and  health  of  the  horse. 
►Some  crib-biters  are  p^ood  pfocrs,  but  they  ])robably  woubl  have 
possessed  more  endurance  had  they  not  ac(iuired  this  habit ;  and 
it  is  a  iact  well  established,  that,  as  soon  as  a  horse  becomes  a 
crib-biter,  he,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  loses  condition.  In  its 
very  early  stance  it  may  be  a  mere  trick — conllrmed,  it  must  have 
produced  morbid  deterioration.  The  wear  of  the  front  tec^tb,  iind 
tbe  occasional  breaking- oi"  them,  make  a  horse  old  belbre  bistinu\ 
and  sonu^times  render  it  dillicult  or  impossible  lor  him  to  ^n-ji/e. 
wben  tbe  static  of  tbe  animal  or  the  convenience  of  tbe  owner  re 
quires  that  he  should  be  turned  out.f 

*  Note  bu  J\fr.  Spoonrr. — Roaring,  whr.fzincj,  and  wlihU'mg  inny  bo  con- 
sidered as  inodiliculioiH  of  tlu*  sjiine  disease,  viz.,  an  ohslruction  to  the  pas- 
Ra^'c  of  air  to  and  iVoin  i\w  lunjjjs  ;  and  as  the  nature  and  amount  of  ihis  ob- 
struction necessarily  varies,  so  must  the  noise  thereby  produced,  and  which 
isconsecpiently  expressed  by  the  terms  in  cpiestion  ;  all,  however,  bein;:,'  de- 
cidedly iDinomuhusa. 

Urantinp  is  the  noise  whicli  many  roarers  will  evince  when  suddenly 
alarmed  by  a  real  (»r  pretended  blow.  It  is  the  common  liorsedealer's 
method  of  discovering  a  roarer,  but  by  no  means  one  that  can  1)0  tlependcMl 
on,  as  many  moderate  roarers,  particuhirly  if  they  luivo  lately  become  so, 
will  notL,^runt.  With  reirard  to  hii^di-hlowinj.,',  we  by  no  means  consider  it 
iin  unsoundness,  understandinjj;  by  this  term,  however,  the  noise,  often  very 
considerable,  which  some  Ijorses  make  t)n  beinj^  first  e.vcited,  or  put  into 
motion.  'I'his  noise  is  produced  by  the  false  nostrils,  which  either  possess 
fi;reater  laxity  than  common,  or  else  it  is  owinj.^  to  the  neivousiiess  of  the 
liorse.  It  bei^ins  at  once  if  the  horse  is  excited,  and,  instead  of  increasin-,' 
with  exertion,  bke  roaring,  it  diminishes  or  goes  oil".  This  is,  or  ought  to 
be,  the  proper  test  of  soundness. 

Broken  loind  is  of  course  decided  unsoundness,  and  equally  so  is  thick 
w/?if/,  or  quickened  respiration,  whi(!h  often  arise"  «Vom  consolidation  of  a 
portion  of  tlie  lungs,  and  sometimes  merely  from  iliickening  of  the  mcm- 
iA  ane  of  the  air  passages. 

\  N(ift  hv  Mr.Spooner. —  (Jrihhitinf/hfifi  often  been  the  s\ibie(!t  of  dispute 


424  SOUNDNESS. 

Curb  constitutes  unsoundness  while  it  lasts,  and  perhaps  while 
the  swelling  remains,  although  the  inflammation  may  have  sub- 
sided ;  for  a  horse  that  has  once  thrown  out  a  curb  is,  for  a  while 
at  least,  very  liable  to  do  so  again,  to  get  lame  in  the  same  place 
on  the  slightest  extra  exertion  ;  or,  at  all  events,  he  would  there 
first  fail  on  extraordinary  exertion.  A  horse,  however,  is  not  re- 
turnable, although  he  should  spring  a  curb  five  minutes  after  the 
purchase  ;  for  it  is  done  in  a  moment,  and  does  not  necessarily  in- 
dicate any  previous  unsoundness  or  weakness  of  the  part.  =^ 

Cutting,  as  rendering  a  horse  liable  to  serious  injury  of  the 
legs,  and  indicating  that  he  is  either  weak,  or  has  an  awkward- 
ness of  gait  inconsistent  with  safety,  produces,  rather  than  this, 
unsoundness.  Many  horses  go  lame  for  a  considerable  period 
after  cutting  themselves  severely  ;  and  others  have  dropped  Irom 
the  sudden  agony,  and  endangered  themselves  and  their  riders. 
As  some  doubt,  however,  exists  on  this  subject,  and  as  it  is  a  very 
material  objection  to  a  horse,  cutting,  when  evid  nt,  should  have 
its  serious  consequences  provided  against  by  a  special  warranty.! 

Enlarged  Glands. — The  enlargement  of  the  glands  under  thf^ 
jaw  has  not  been  so  raiuch  considered  as  it  ought  to  have  been  in 

13  to  whether  it  constitutes  unsoundness  or  not,  which  is  not  to  be  wondered  at, 
seeing  that  many  crib-biters  will  perform  their  work  for  many  years  without 
hindrance  or  inconvenience.  Crib-biting  is  now,  however,  regarded  as  an 
unsoundness,  on  the  principle  that  though  at  the  present  time  the  horse  may 
be  equal  to  his  work,  yet,  at  a  future  period,  it  may  render  him  unequal  to 
its  performance,  by  causing  indigestion,  loss  of  flesh,  and  weakness.  It  is 
better  that  the  question  should  be  thus  set  at  rest,  as  the  value  of  the  ani 
mal  is  very  materially  diminished  by  being  a  crib-biter,  which  is  owing  not 
80  much  to  real  injury,  as  to  the  disagreeable  habit,  and  to  the  fact  that  if 
the  animal  is  in  a  stable  with  other  horses,  they  are  very  likely  to  learn  the 
habit. 

Wind-suching  must  come  under  the  same  rules  as  crib-biting,  which  re- 
sembles it  so  far  as  the  swallowing  of  air  is  concerned,  the  animal,  howeverj 
being  enabled  to  do  it  without  the  necessity  of  laying  hold  of  the  manger. 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — Curb  constitutes  unsoundness,  unless  it  is  well 
known  that  the  horse  has  stood  the  ordeal  of  work  for  some  months  since 
the  curb  was  thrown  out,  or  any  treatment  adopted  for  it.  As  this  infor- 
mation, however,  can  seldom  be  satisfactorily  obtained,  the  possible  effects 
of  a  curb  should  be  guarded  against  by  a  special  warranty. 

f  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — We  cannot  agree  with  the  text  in  considering 
this  an  unsoundness.  It  is  a  visible  defect,  and  therefore  can  readily  be 
observed,  and  pointed  out,  and  objected  to,  in  proportion  to  the  amount 
of  the  evil  which  may  be  very  severe  and  unlikely  to  be  remedied,  or 
slight,  and  owing  either  to  improper  shoeing,  or  youth,  awkwardness,  or 
weakness.  To  consider  it,  therefore,  as  an  unsoundness,  there  being  neither 
alteration  of  structure  nor  function,  would  be  to  open  the  door  to  perpetual 
disputes,  and  render  the  alr.eady  vexed  question  of  soundness  still  more 
vexatious.  At  the  same  time,  if  the  cutting  is  considerable,  and  evidently 
arises  from  naturally  defective  action,  and  is  of  such  a  nature  as  not  to  ad 
jnit  of  a  remedy,  we  should  noi  hesitate,  in  such  a  case,  to  pronounce  the 
animal  unsound. 


SOUNDNESS.  426 

our  estimate  of  the  soundness  of  the  horse.  Simple  catarrh  will 
occasionally,  and  severe  affection  of  the  chest  will  generally,  be 
accompanied  by  swellinfr  of  these  glands,  which  does  not  subside 
for  a  considerable  time  after  the  cold  or  lever  has  apparently 
been  cured.  To  slight  enlargements  of  the  glands  under  the  jaw 
much  attention  need  not  be  paid  ;  but  if  they  are  of  ccusiderable 
size,  and  especially  if  they  are  tender,  and  the  glands  at  the  root 
of  the  ear  partake  of  the  enlargement,  and  the  membrane  of  the 
nose  is  redder  than  it  should  be,  we  should  hesitate  in  pronouncing 
that  horse  to  be  sound.  "We  must  consider  the  swelling  as  a 
symptom  of  disease. 

Enlarged  Hock. — A  horse  with  enlarged  hock  is  unsound,  the 
structure  of  this  complicated  joint  being  so  materially  afiected 
that,  although  the  horse  may  appear  for  a  considerable  time  to  be 
capable  of  ordinary  work,  he  will  occasionally  fail  even  in  that, 
and  a  few  days'  hard  work  will  always  lame  him.* 

The  Eyes. — That  inflammation  of  the  eye  of  the  horse  which 
usually  terminates  in  blindness  of  one  or  both  eyes,  has  the  pecu- 
liar character  of  receding  or  disappearing  for  a  time,  once  or 
twice,  or  thrice,  before  it  fully  runs  its  course.  The  eye,  after  an 
attack  of  inflammation,  regains  so  nearly  its  former  natural  bril- 
liancy that  a  person  even  well  acquahited  with  horses  will  not 
always  recognize  the  traces  of  former  disease.  After  a  time,  how- 
ever, the  inflammation  returns,  and  the  result  is  inevitable.  A 
horse  that  has  had  one  attack  of  this  complaint,  is  long  afterwards 
unsound,  however  perfect  the  eye  may  seem  to  be,  because  he 
carries  about  with  him  a  disease  that  will  probably  again  break 
out,  and  eventually  destroy  the  sight.  AVhether,  therefore,  he 
may  be  rejected  or  not,  depends  on  the  possibility  of  proving  an 
attack  of  mflammation  of  the  eye,  prior  to  the  purchase.  Next 
to  direct  evidence  of  this  are  appearances  about  the  eye,  of  which 
the  veterinary  surgeon  at  least  ought  not  to  be  ignorant.  Allu- 
sion has  been  made  to  them  in  page  64.  They  consist  chiefly  of 
a  puckering  of  the  lids  towards  the  inner  corner  of  one  or  both 
eyes — a  difference  in  the  size  of  the  eyes,  although  perhaps  only 
a  slight  one,  and  not  discovered  except  it  be  looked  for — a  gloom- 
iness of  the  eye — a  dullness  of  the  iris — a  little  dullness  of  the 


*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — The  greater  number  of  these  cases,  arising  as 
they  most  frequently  do  from  stniins,  we  should  consider  as  unsoundness, 
even  although  the  probability  may  be  that  the  horse  will  stand  work  with- 
out lameness.  There  is  weakness  of  the  part,  and  a  possibility  of  lame- 
ness. There  are,  however,  other  ca-;es  in  which  the  enlargement  may  be  in 
the  skin,  or  immediately  under  it,  or  on  the  outside  of  the  bone,  such  cases 
being  often  produced  by  kicks  or  blows,  or  other  external  injuries.  There 
are  many  such  cases  that  we  should  regard  as  blemishes,  but  not  as  un 
soimdnesa 


426  SOUNDNESS. 

transparent  pari,  ol' the  oyo  «!;cMU'rjilly — a  minute,  faint,  dusky  spot 
(loop  in  tlio  eye,  and  ^(nu'rally  with  little  radiations  of  wliito  liuea 
]>ro(U^odiii<>"  IVoni  it.  1 1"  these  symplonis,  or  th(^  majority  olthem. 
ox.ist(ul  at  the  time  of  [)iirehase,  ihi'  animal  hail  assuredly  been 
diseased  l)erore,  and  was  unsound  Slartin;;  has  been  considered 
as  muMpiivoeal  jn'oof.  It  is  usually  au  indication  ol"  detective 
si^ht,  but  it  is  occasionally  a  trick.  Connected,  however,  with 
]\c  api>(Niran(H'S  just  described,  it  is  a  very  strong"  corroborative 
prool'.* 

Lamkniws,  from  whatever  cause  arisiu<2:,  is  uusouiulness.  Jiow- 
cvcr  temporary  it  may  be,  or  however  ob.scure,  there  must  be  dis- 
ease which  lessens  the  utility  of  the  liorse,  and  renders  him  un- 
sound for  the  time.  So  says  couunon  sense,  but  there  are  contra- 
dictory decisions  on  the  case.  "  A  horse  laborin«r  under  a  tempo- 
rary injury  or  hurt,  which  is  capable  of  bein«>'  speedily  cured  or 
removed,  is  not,  according-  to  Chief  Justice  Eyre,  au  unsound 
horse  ;  and  where  a.  warranty  is  made  that  such  a  horse  is  sound, 
it  is  made  without  any  view  to  such  au  injury  ;  nor  is  a  horse  so 
circumstanced  within  the  meaning-  of  the  warranty.  To  vitiate 
the  warranty,  the  injury  the  horse  had  sustained,  or  the  malady 

*  Nott'  hi/  J\fr.Spooiirr. — All  inloiiml  ilisoase^i  of  the  oyo,  or  the  ri'iniiiiisi 
of  snoh  iliscasi's,  t'oiistitiito  unsouuiliu'ss  ;  and  wen  ultliouivh  no  iniscliicr  run 
be  (lisoovni'd  at  tln^  time  ofsalc,  yet,  if  intlaiiuiuition  can  l)o  proved  toiiavo 
existed  pii'viously,  and  such  inllaiiimatioii  siihseipiently  reours,  (ho  horse  is 
returnable.  As,  Ijowever,  it  is  extreintdy  dillicult  to  obtain  sneh  proof,  the 
most  particular  care  should  be  (aki'u  with  rej^ard  to  an  exaiuiiiatiim  of  tho 
eyes.  Distinetiou.  however,  imist  be  made  between  those  streaks  or  opacpie 
spots  often  seen  on  the  eoriu-a  alone,  and  witlioutthe  axis  of  vision,  and  wliieb. 
invariably  arises  IVoiu  blows  or  other  external  injuries,  and  whieh,  alliionii^h 
uinountiu!^'  to  a  blemish,  iloes  not  eonstitule  unsoiuulness.  'i'lu'ris  aie  also 
occasional  speeks  deepi^r  in  tho  eye,  about  the  size  of  a  pin's  head,  oviilently 
on  tho  surface  of  tho  crystalline  lens,  and  not  in  its  body.  These  false  oata- 
raets,  as  tiioy  may  be  called  in  contraihstinction  to  true  cataracts,  are  very 
frecpaMitly  absorbeil,  and  do  not  inereaso  or  injure  vision.  When,  there- 
fore, the  examiner  can  satify  himself  that  such  is  the  nature  of  the  spe(>ks  in 
ipiestion,  he  will  be  Jusiitii'd,  whilst  pointing  out  their  existence,  in  deciding 
in  tavor  of  soundness  of  the  animal. 

We  cannot  by  any  mi'ans  agree  with  the  doctrine  implied  in  the  text,  that 
a  blind  horse  is  not  returnable.  If  the  horse  is  warranted-sound.and  proves 
to  be  blind,  the  warranty  is  broken,  and  the  liorso  is  returnable.  Many 
purchasers  of  horses  know  no  mi>re  about  a  lh)rse  than  a  horse  tloes  about 
them,  and  eanni>t  be  supposeil  to  be  eaj>able  of  diseovi-ring  the  animal's 
liefecls.  ami  they  have  a  right  to  C(»nsider  tlu>  warranty  as  their  prt)teotion, 
Tho  writer  himself  remiMubers,  many  years  since,  riding  a  horse  twenty 
miles  on  a  turnpike  road,  without  knt)wii)g  that  the  aninud  was  blind.  It 
was  a  castM)f  amaurosis;  the  eye  was  clear  and  appari>ntly  free  from  dis- 
ease, tho  animal  wei\t  safe,  straight  and  well,  and  he  could  scarcidy  believe 
it,  the  next  morning.  wlu>n  he  found  that  the  animal  was  stone  blind. 

If,  however,  the  horse  is  bought  without  a  warranty,  (lie  tiefect  being  ap- 
ixareut,  tho  horse  is  then  not  returnable  on  the  ground  of  fraud. 


SOIINDNKSS.  487 

liiuUn-  wliii'li  111'  lahovi'd,  ou^^lil  lo  he  of  a  prnnaiu'iil  iialiiic,  and 
not  sucli  as  may  arise  IVdiu  u  tciuporary  iiijury  oi-      .•idciil." 

Oil  the  coiilrary,  Lord  I'^llcuboroii^li  says:  "I  have  always 
lic'ld,  and  iit)\v  lu)ld,  that  a  warranty  ol  Hoiiiuliicss  is  IjioIumi,  if 
till'  auiiiial  at  tlm  tiiiK^  of  siilo  has  any  iiiHruiity  upon  liim  which 
renders  him  less  lit  lor  present  serviee.  It  is  not  necessary  that 
the  disorder  should  l)e  permanent  or  incnf:il)le.  While  a  horse 
lias  a  eou^^h  he  is  unsound,  although  it  may  either  be  temporary 
or  may  ])rove  mortal.  The  horse  in  (piestion  havinji;  been  lame  at 
the  time  of  sale,  when  ho  was  warranted  to  Uo  sound,  his  condi- 
tion subse([uently  is  no  (lelenc(^  to  the  action.*  'V\w  diunsioii  ot 
Mr.  liaroii  Tarke,  already  referred  to,  conllrms  this  doctrine. 

Niu'uoToMY. — A  (piestion  has  arisen  how  far  a  horse  that  has 
under«^one  the  operation  of  the  division  of  the  nerve  of  the  le«r  (seo 
p.  8G),  and  has  recovered  from  the  lameness  with  which  ho  wa3 
before  alU'ctiui,  and  stands  his  work  well,  may  bo  considered  to  boi 
Bound.  (Jliief  Justice  Best  held  such  a.  horsi^  to  b(^  unsound,  and 
ill  our  opinion  there  cannot  be  a,  doubt  about  tln^  matter.  Tho 
operation  of  neurotomy  does  not  remove  tlu^  diseasi*  causing'  tho 
lameness,  lint  only  the  sensation  of  pain.  A  horsti  on  whom  this 
operation  has  been  performed  may  be  improved  by  it — may  cease 
to  be  lame — may  «••<)  W(dl  l()r  many  years;  but  there  is  no  ccr 
tainty  of  this,  and  he  is  unsound,  within  our  defniition,  unless  na- 
ture "i^ave  tho  iiervo  lor  no  useful  J)urpos(^ 

O.SSll'lCATlON  OF  TIIH  LATKRAL  (MKTliwVU  i;S  constitutes  UllSOUud- 

!iess,  as  iiiterferinjj^  witli  the  natural  expansion  of  the  loot, 
and,  ill  horses  of  ([uick  work,  almost  universally  produein;,^ 
lameness. 

PiiMicKD-FooT. — When  the  union  between  the  horny  and  seu- 
sible  lamiine,  or  little  jilates  of  tlu^  l()ot  (see  p.  IJOT)),  is  weakcMuul, 
and  the  (Ujllin-bone  is  letdown,  and  presses  upon  the  sole,  and  tho 
sole  yields  to  this  unnatural  wei<;ht,  and  becomes  rounded,  and  is 
brou^j^ht  in  contact  with  the  ^n'ound,  and  is  bruiscul  and  injured, 
that  horse  must  bo  unsound,  and  unsound  forever,  because  thero 
arc  no  moans  by  which  wo  can  raise  tho  coilin-bono  a^'^aiu  hito 
its"  place. 

(i,uii)i)iN(;. — If  th(!  mastication  of  the  food  ^ivcs  pain  to  the  ani- 
mal, in  conse(]uenco  of  sonnu'ss  of  tho  mouth  or  throat,  ln5  will 
drop  it  bel()re  it  is  i)erle(ttly  chewed.  This,  as  an  indicration  of 
di.sease,  constitutes  unsoundness,  t^uiddin^  sometimes  arises  from 
irre<rularity  in  the  teeth,  whi(di  wound  tin;  cheek  with  thiMr  sharp 
edjiCos  ;  or  a  j)rotrudin^  tooth  riMiders  it  impossible  for  the  horse 
to  (dos<;  his  jaws  so  as  to  (diew  his  food  tliorou;';lily.  (,iuiddin<( 
i"  unsoundness  for  the  time  ;    but  the  unsoundness  will  cease  when 

*■  4  Ciu>ij)l).-ll,  '.!r)l,  h7/<m  VH.  lir<Hid<:)i. 


428  SOUNDNESS. 

the  teeth  are  properly  filed,  or  the  soreness  or  other  cause  of  this 
imperfect  chewing  removed. 

(oluiTTOR  is  manifestly  unsoundness. 

Ring-bone. — Although  when  the  bony  tumor  is  small,  and  on 
one  side  only,  there  is  little  or  no  lameness — and  there  are  a  few 
instances  in  which  a  horse  with  ring-bone  has  worked  for  many 
years  without  itti  return — yet  from  the  action  of  the  foot,  and  the 
stress  upon  the  part,  the  inflammation  and  the  formation  of  bone 
may  acquire  a  tendency  to  spread  so  rapidly,  that  we  must  pro- 
nounce the  slightest  enlargement  of  the  pasterns,  or  around  the 
coronet,  to  be  a  cause  of  unsoundness. 

Sand-crack  is  manifestly  unsoundness.  It  may,  however,  occur 
without  the  slightest  warning,  and  no  horse  can  be  rejected  on 
account  of  a  sand-crack  that  has  sprung  after  purchase.  Its  usual 
cause  is  too  great  brittleness  of  the  crust  of  the  hoof;  but  there  is 
no  mfallible  method  of  detecting  this,  or  the  degree  in  which  it 
must  exist  in  order  to  constitute  unsoundness.  When  the  horn 
round  the  bottom  of  the  foot  has  chipped  off  so  much  that  only  a 
skilful  smith  can  fasten  the  shoe  without  pricking  the  horse,  or  even 
when  there  is  a  tendency  in  the  horn  to  chip  and  break  in  a  much 
less  degree  than  this,  the  horse  is  unsound,  for  the  brittleness  of 
the  crust  is  a  disease  of  the  part,  or  it  is  such  an  altered  structure 
of  it  as  to  interfere  materially  with  the  usefulness  of  the  animal. 

k5PAViN. — Bone  spavin,  comprehending  in  its  largest  sense  every 
bony  tumor  on  the  hock,  is  not  necessarily  unsoundness.  If  the 
tumor  affects  in  the  slightest  degree  the  action  of  the  horse,  it  is 
unsoundness  ; — even  if  it  does  not,  it  is  seldom  safe  to  pronounce 
it  otherwise  than  unsoundness.  But  it  may  possibly  be  (like  splint 
in  the  fore-leg)  so  situated  as  to  have  no  tendency  to  affect  the  ac- 
tion. A  veterinaiy  surgeon  consulted  on  the  purchase  will  nol 
always  reject  a  horse  because  of  such  a  tumor.  His  evidence  on 
a  question  of  soundness  will  depend  on  the  facts.  The  situation 
and  history  of  the  tumor  may  be  such  as  to  enable  him  to  give  a 
decisive  opinion  in  a  horse  going  sound,  but  not  often. 

Bog  or  Blood  Spavin  is  unsoundness,  because,  although  it  may 
not  be  productive  of  lameness  at  slow  work,  the  rapid  and  power- 
ful action  of  the  hock  in  quicker  motion  will  produce  permanent, 
yet  jierhaps  not  considerable  lameness,  which  can  scarcely  evei 
be  with  certainty  removed.=^ 

Splint. — It  depends  entirely  on  the  situation  of  the  bony  tumor 
on  the  shank-bone,  whether  it  is  to  be  considered  as  unsoundness. 
If  it  is  not  in  the  neighborhood  of  any  joint,  so  as  to  interfere  with 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — Blood-Spavin  is  certainly  unsoundness,  unless 
extremely  slight,  although,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  i*  does  not  caus# 
lameness. 


SOUNDNESS.  429 

its  action,  and  if  it  does  not  press  upon  any  ligament  or  tendon,  it 
may  be  no  cause  of  unsoundness,  although  it  is  often  very  un- 
sightly. In  many  cases,  it  may  not  lessen  the  capabihty  and  value 
of  the  animal.  This  has  been  treated  on  at  considerable  length  in 
page  256.^ 

IStringiialt. — This  singular  and  very  unpleasant  action  of  the 
hind-leg  is  decidedly  an  unsoundness.  It  is  an  irregular  commu- 
nication of  nervous  energy  to  some  muscle  of  the  thigh,  observable 
when  the  horse  first  comes  from  the  stable,  and  gradually  ceasing 
on  exercise.  It  has  usually  been  accompanied  by  a  more  than 
conuuon  degree  of  strength  and  endurance.  It  must,  however,  be 
traced  to  some  morbid  alteration  of  structure  or  function  ;  and 
it  rarely  or  never  fails  to  deteriorate  and  gradually  wear  out  the 
animal. 

Thickening  of  the  Back  Sinews. — Sufficient  attention  is  not 
always  paid  to  the  fineness  of  the  legs  of  the  horse.  If  the  flexor 
tendons  have  been  sprained,  so  as  to  produce  considerable  thick- 
ening of  the  cellular  substance  in  which  their  sheaths  are  envel- 
oped, they  will  long  afterwards,  or  perhaps  always,  be  liable  to 
sprain,  from  causes  by  which  they  would  otherwise  be  scarcely 
aflected.  The  continuance  of  any  considerable  thickness  around 
the  sheaths  of  the  tendons  indicates  previous  violent  sprain.  This 
very  thickening  will  fetter  the  action  of  the  tendons,  and,  after 
much  quick  work,  will  occasionally  renew  the  inflammation  and 
the  lameness ;  therefore,  such  a  horse  cannot  be  sound.  It  requires, 
however,  a  little  discrimination  to  distinguish  this  from  the  guin- 
miness,  or  roundness  of  leg,  peculiar  to  some  breeds.  There 
should  be  an  evident  diflerence  between  the  injured  leg  and  the 
other,  t 

Thoroughpin,  except  it  is  of  great  size,  is  rarely  productive  of 
lameness,  and  therefore  cannot  be  termed  unsoundness  ;  but  as 
it  is  the  consequence  of  hard  work,  and  now  and  then  does  produce 


*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — We  do  not  think  the  situation  of  this  tumor  has 
as  much  to  do  with  the  existence  of  lameness  as  is  generally  imagined.  The 
lameness  is  occasioned  by  the  tension  of  the  periosteum,  or  covering  of  the 
bone,  which  has  not  had  time  to  accommodate  itself  to  the  bony  swelling 
beneath  it.  All  sphnts,  therefore,  which  evince  tenderness  on  being  pressed 
should  be  considered  as  unsoundness,  and,  indeed,  all  splints  on  horses  un 
der  six  years  of  age  should  be  guarded  against  by  a  sufficient  warranty 
though  no  lameness  or  tenderness  may  exist.  In  older  horses,  this  precau 
tion  is  unnecessary. 

f  JVote  by  Mr.  Spooner. — All  enlargements  of  the  sinews  or  ligaments,  un 
less  evidently  produced  by  blows,  constitute  unsoundness.  It  is  an  old  but 
mistaken  idea,  that  the  enhirgement  of  sprung  sinews,  as  it  is  termed,  exists 
in  the  cellular  membrane.  It  is  the  substance  of  the  sinews  themselves  that 
becomes  thickened. 


430  SOUNDNESS 

lameness,  the  hock  should  be  most  carefully  examined,  and  there 
should  be  a  special  warranty  against  it."^ 

Thrush. — There  are  various  cases  on  record  of  actions  on  ac- 
count of  thrushes  in  horses  and  the  decisions  have  been  much  at 
variance,  or  perfectly  contradictory  Thrush  has  not  been  always 
considered  by  legal  men  as  unsoundness.  We,  however,  decided- 
ly so  consider  it ;  as  being  a  disease  interfering  and  likely  to  inter- 
fere with  the  usefulness  of  the  horse.  Thrush  is  inflammation  of 
the  lower  surface  of  the  inner  or  sensible  frog — and  the  secretion 
or  throwing  out  of  pus — almost  invariably  accompanied  by  a 
slight  degree  of  tenderness  of  the  frog  itself,  or  of  the  heel  a  little 
above  it,  and,  if  neglected,  leading  to  diminution  of  the  substance 
of  the  frog,  and  separation  of  the  horn  from  parts  beneath,  and 
underrunning,  and  the  production  of  fungus  and  canker,  and,  ul- 
timately, a  diseased  state  of  the  foot,  destructive  of  the  present, 
and  dangerous  to  the  future  usefulness  of  the  horse, f 

WiNDGALLS. — There  are  few  horses  perfectly  free  from  wind- 
galls,  but  they  do  not  interfere  with  the  action  of  the  fetlock,  or 
cause  lameness,  except  when  they  are  numerous  or  large.  They 
constitute  unsoundness  only  when  they  cause  lameness,  or  are  so 
large  and  numerous  as  to  render  it  likely  that  they  will  cause  it. 

Li  the  purchase  of  a  horse  the  buyer  usually  receives,  embod- 
ied in  the  receipt,  what  is  termed  a  warPv,anty.  It  should  be 
thus  expressed  : — 

"  Received  of  A.  B.  forty  pounds  for  a  gray  mare,  warranted  only  five 
years  old,  sound,  free  from  vice,  and  quiet  to  ride  or  drive. 

"£40.  "  C.  D." 

A  receipt,  including  merely  the  word  "  warranted,"  extends  on 
ly  to  soundness, — "  warranted  sound"  goes  no  farther  ;  the  age, 
freedom  from  vice,  and  quietness  to  ride  and  drive,  should  be  es 
pecially  named.  This  warranty  comprises  every  cause  of  unsound- 
ness that  can  be  detected,  or  that  lurks  in  the  constitution  at  the 
time  of  sale,  and  to  every  vicious  habit  that  the  animal  has 
hitherto  shown.  To  establish  a  breach  of  warranty,  and  to  be 
enabled  to  tender  a  return  of  the  horse  and  recover  the  difference 
of  price,  the  purchaser  must  prove  that  it  was  unsound  or  vicious- 
y  disposed  at  the  time  of  sale.  In  case  of  cough,  the  horse  must 
nave  been  heard  to  cough  immediately  after  the  purchase,  or  as 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — TJioroughpins,  unless  they  are  very  slight,  ought 
to  be  considered  in  the  same  light  as  Bog  Spavin,  which  they  resemble  in 
their  nature  though  not  in  situation.  They  indicate  weakness  of  one  of  the 
most  important  points  in  the  body,  though  lameness  rarely  attends  it. 

f  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — We  cannot  consider  thrush  as  invariably  un- 
Boundness,  as  it  may  often  be  cured.  In  bad  cases,  of  long  standing,  we  are 
justified  in  considering  it  as  unsoundness. 


SOUNDNESS.  431 

he  was  led  home,  or  as  soon  as  he  had  entered  the  stable  of  the 
purchaser.  Coughing,  even  on  the  following  morning,  will  not  be 
sufficient ;  for  it  is  possible  that  he  might  have  caught  cold  by 
change  of  stabling.  If  he  is  lame,  it  must  be  proved  tc  arise 
from  a  cause  that  existed  before  the  animal  was  in  the  purchaser's 
possession,  No  price  will  imply  a  warranty,  or  be  equivalent  to 
one  ;  there  must  be  an  express  warranty.  A  fraud  must  be 
proved  in  the  seller,  in  order  that  the  buyer  may  be  enabled  to 
return  the  horse  or  maintain  an  action  for  the  price.  The  war- 
ranty should  be  given  at  the  time  of  sale.  A  warranty,  or  a  pro- 
mise to  warraiit  the  horse  given  at  any  period  antecedent  to  the 
sale,  is  invalid  ;  for  horse-flesh  is  a  very  perishable  commodity, 
and  the  constitution  and  usefulness  of  the  animal  may  undergo 
a  considerable  change  in  the  space  of  a  few  days.  A  warranty 
after  the  sale  is  invalid,  for  it  is  is  given  without  any  legal  consi- 
deration. In  order  to  complete  the  purchase,  there  must  be  a 
transfer  of  the  animal,  or  a  memorandum  of  agreement,  or  the 
payment  of  the  earnest-money.  The  least  sum  will  suffice  for 
earnest.  No  verbal  promise  to  buy  or  to  sell  is  binding  without  one 
of  these.  The  moment  either  of  these  is  effected,  the  legal  trans- 
fer of  property  or  deliveiy  is  made,  and  whatever  may  happen  to 
the  horse,  the  seller  retains,  or  is  entitled  to  the  money.  If  the 
purchaser  exercises  any  act  of  ownership,  by  using  the  animal 
without  leave  of  the  vender,  or  by  having  any  operation  per- 
formed, or  any  medicine  given  to  him,  he  makes  him  his  own. 
The  warranty  of  a  servant  is  considered  to  be  binding  on  the 
master.* 

If  the  horse  should  be  afterwards  discovered  to  have  been  un- 
sound at  the  time  of  warranty,  the  buyer  may  tender  a  return  of 
it,  and,  if  it  be  not  taken  back,  may  bring  his  action  for  the  price  ; 
but  the  seller  is  not  bound  to  rescind  the  contract,  unless  he  has 
agreed  so  to  do. 

Although  there  is  no  legal  compulsion  to  give  immediate  no- 
tice to  the  seller  of  the  discovered  unsoundness,  it  will  be  better 
for  it  to  be  done.  The  animal  should  then  be  tendered  at  the 
house  or  stable  of  the  vender.  If  he  refuses  to  receive  him,  the 
animal  may  be  sent  to  a  livery  stable  and  sold  ;  and  an  action 
for  the  difference  in  price  may  be  brought.  The  keep,  however, 
can  be  recovered  only  for  the  time  that  necessarily  intervened 
between  the  tender  and  the  determination  of  the  action.  It  is  not 
legally  necessary  to  tender  a  return  of  the  horse  as  soon  as  the 
unsoundness  is  discovered.  The  animal  may  be  kept  for  a  reaso- 
nable time  afterwards,  and  even  proper  medical  means  used  to  re- 

*  The  weight  of  authority  decides  that  the  master  is  bound  hvthe  act  of 
the  servant.     Lord  Kenyon,  however,  had  some  doubt  on  the  subject. 


432  SOUNDNESS. 

'.nove  the  unsoundness  ;  but  courtesy,  and  indeed  justice,  will  re 
Muire  that  the  notice  should  be  given  as  soon  as  possible.  Al- 
chough  It  is  stated,  on  the  authority  of  Lord  Loughborough,  that 
•*  no  length  of  time  elapsed  after  the  sale  will  alter  the  nature 
of  a  conU-act  originally  false,"  yet  it  seems  to  have  been  once 
thought  it  was  necessary  to  the  action  to  give  notice  of  the  un- 
soundness in  a  reasonable  time.  The  cause  of  action  is  cer- 
tainly complete  on  breach  of  the  warranty. 

It  used  to  be  supposed  that  the  buyer  had  no  right  to  have  the 
horse  medically  treated,  and  that  he  would  waive  the  warranty 
by  doing  so.  The  question,  however,  would  be,  has  he  injured 
or  diminished  the  value  of  the  horse  by  this  treatment?  It  will 
generally  be  prudent  for  him  to  refrain  from  all  medical  treat- 
ment, because  the  means  adopted,  however  skilfully  employed, 
may  have  an  unfortunate  effect,  or  may  be  misrepresented  by  ig- 
norant or  interested  observers. 

The  purcliaser  possibly  may  like  the  horse,  notwithstanding  his 
discovered  defect,  and  he  may  retain,  and  bring  his  action  for  the 
lepreciation  in  value  on  account  of  the  unsoundness.  Few,  how- 
ever, will  do  this,  because  his  retaining  the  horse  will  cause  a 
suspicion  that  the  defect  was  of  no  great  consequence,  and  will 
give  rise  to  much  cavil  about  the  quantum  of  damages,  and  after 
all,  very  slight  damages  will  probably  be  obtained.  "I  take  it 
to  be  clear  law,"  says  Lord  Eldon,  "  that  if  a  person  purchases 
a  horse  that  is  warranted,  and  it  afterwards  turns  out  that  the 
horse  was  unsound  at  the  time  of  warranty,  the  buyer  may,  if  he 
pleases,  keep  the  horse,  and  bring  an  action  on  the  warranty ;  in 
which  he  will  have  a  right  to  recover  the  difference  between  the 
value  of  a  sound  horse,  and  one  with  such  defects  as  existed  at 
the  time  of  warranty ;  or  he  may  return  the  horse,  and  bring  an 
action  to  recover  the  full  money  ;  but  in  the  latter  case,  the  sel- 
ler has  a  right  to  expect  that  the  horse  shall  be  returned  to  him 
in  the  same  state  he  was  when  sold,  and  not  by  any  means  di- 
minished in  value  ;  for  if  a  person  keep  a  warranted  article  for 
any  length  of  time  after  discovering  its  defects,  and  when  he  re- 
turns it,  it  is  in  a  worse  state  than  it  would  have  been  if  returned 
immediately  after  such  discovery,  I  think  the  party  can  have  no 
defence  to  an  action  for  the  price  of  the  article  on  the  ground  of 
non-compliance  with  the  warranty,  but  must  be  left  to  his  action 
on  the  warranty  to  recover  the  dilference  in  the  value  of  the  ar- 
ticle warranted,  and  its  value  when  sold.* 

Where  there  is  no  warranty,  an  action  may  be  brought  on  the 

ground  of  fraud  ;  but  this  is  very  diihcult  to  be  maintained,  and 

not  often  hazarded.     It  will  be  necessary  to  prove  that  the  dealer 

blew  the  defect,  and  that  the  purchaser  was  imposed  upon  by  his 

*  Curtis  V.  Hannay,  3  Esp.  83. 


SOUNDNESS.  433 

false  representation,  or  other  fraudulent  means.  If  the  defect 
was  evident  to  every  eye,  the  purchaser  has  no  remedy — he  should 
have  taken  more  care  ;  but  if  a  warranty  was  given,  that  extends 
to  all  unsoundness,  palpable  or  concealed.  Although  a  person 
should  ignorantly  or  carelessly  buy  a  blind  horse,  warranted  sound, 
he  may  reject  it — the  warranty  is  his  guard,  and  prevents  him 
ii-om  so  closely  examining  the  horse  as  he  otherwise  would  have 
done  ;  but  il'  he  buys  a  blind  horse,  thinking  him  to  be  sound,  and 
v/ithout  a  warranty,  he  has  no  remedy.  Every  one  ought  to  ex- 
ercise common  circumspection  and  common  sense. 

A  man  should  have  a  more  perfect  knowledge  of  horses  than 
falls  to  the  lot  of  most,  and  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  vender  too, 
who  ventures  to  buy  a  horse  wit-iout  a  warranty. 

If  a  persdn  buys  a  horse  wai ranted  sound,  and  discovering  no 
defect  in  him,  and,  relying  on  the  warranty,  re-selis  him,  and  the 
unsoundness  is  discovered  by  the  second  purchaser,  and  the  horse 
returned  to  the  first  purchaser,  or  an  action  commenced  against 
him,  he  has  his  claim  on  the  first  seller,  and  may  demand  of  him 
not  only  the  price  of  the  horse,  or  the  difierence  in  value,  but 
every  expense  that  may  have  been  incurred. 

Absolute  exchanges,  of  one  horse  for  another,  or  a  sum  of  money 
being  paid  in  addition  by  one  of  the  parties,  stand  on  the  same 
ground  as  simple  sales.  If  there  is  a  warranty  on  either  side,  and 
that  is  broken,  an  action  may  be  maintained  :  if  there  be  no  war- 
ranty, deceit  must  be  proved. 

The  trial  of  horses  on  sale  often  leads  to  disputes.  The  law  is 
perfectly  clear,  but  the  application  of  it,  as  in  other  matters  con- 
nected with  horse-flesh,  attended  with  glorious  uncertainty.  The 
intended  purchaser  is  only  liable  for  damage  done  to  the  horse 
througli  his  own  misconduct.  The  seller  may  put  what  restriction 
he  chooses  on  the  trial,  and  takes  the  risks  of  all  accidents  in  the 
fair  use  of  the  horse  within  such  restrictions. 

If  a  horse  from  a  dealer's  stable  is  galloped  far  and  fast,  it  is 
probabJe  that  he  will  soon  show  distress  ;  and  if  he  is  pushed  far- 
ther, inflammation  and  death  may  ensue.  The  dealer  rarely  gets 
recompensed  for  this  ;  nor  ought  he,  as  he  knows  the  unfitness  of 
his  horse,  and  may  thank  himself  for  permitting  such  a  trial ;  and 
if  it  should  occur  soon  after  the  sale,  he  runs  the  risk  of  having 
the  horse  returned,  or  of  an  action  for  itp  price. 

In  this,  too,  he  is  not  much  to  be  pitied.  The  mischievous  and 
fraudulent  practice  of  dealers,  especially  in  London,  of  giving 
their  horses,  by  overfeeding,  a  false  appearance  of  muscular  sub- 
stance, leads  to  the  ruin  of  many  a  valuable  animal.  It  would 
be  a  useful  lesson  to  have  to  contest  in  an  action  or  two  the  ques- 
tion whether  a  horse  overloaded  with  fat  can  be  otherwise  thar. 
in  a  state  of  disease,  and  consequently  unsound. 
28  S 


4J4  SOUNDNESS. 

It  IS  proper,  however,  to  put  a  limit  to  what  has  been  too  fre- 
quently asserted  from  the  bench,  that  a  horse  warranted  sound 
must  be  taken  as  fit  for  immediate  use,  and  capable  of  being-  im 
mediately  put  to  any  fair  work  the  owner  chooses.  A  hunter 
honestly  warranted  sound  is  certainly  warranted  to  be  in  imme 
diate  condition  to  follow  the  hounds.  The  mysteries  of  condition, 
as  has  been  shown  in  a  former  part  of  the  work,  are  not  suiii- 
ciently  unravelled. 

In  London,  and  in  most  great  towns,  there  are  repositories  for 
the  periodical  sale  of  horses  by  auction.  They  are  of  great  con- 
venience to  the  teller  who  can  at  once  get  rid  of  a  horse  with 
which  he  wishes  to  part,  without  waiting  month  after  month  be- 
fore he  obtains  a  purchaser,  and  he  is  relieved  from  the  nuisance 
or  fear  of  having  the  animal  returned  on  account  of  breach  of 
the  warranty,  because  in  these  places  only  two  days  are  allowed 
for  the  trial,  and  if  the  horse  is  not  returned  within  that  period 
he  cannot  be  afterwards  returned.  They  are  also  convenient  to 
the  purchaser,  who  can  thus  in  a  large  town  soon  find  a  horse 
that  will  suit  him,  and  which,  from  this  restriction  as  to  returning 
the  animal,  he  will  obtain  twenty  or  thirty  per  cent,  below  the 
dealers'  prices.  Although  an  auction  may  seem  to  offer  a  fail 
and  open  competition,  there  is  no  place  at  which  it  is  more  neces- 
sary for  a  person  not  much  accustomed  to  horses  to  take  with  him 
an  experienced  friend,  and,  when  there,  to  depend  on  his  own 
judgment,  or  that  of  his  friend,  heedless  of  the  observations  or 
manoeuvres  of  the  bystanders,  the  exaggerated  commendation  of 
some  horses,  and  the  thousand  faults  found  with  others.  There 
are  always  numerous  groups  of  low  dealers,  copers,  and  chaunters, 
whose  business  it  is  to  delude  and  deceive. 

One  of  the  regulations  of  the  Bazaar  in  King  Street  was  ex- 
ceedingly fair,  both  with  regard  to  the  previous  owner  and  the 
purchaser,  viz. — 

"  When  a  horse,  having  been  warranted  sound,  shall  be  returned 
within  the  prescribed  period,  on  account  of  unsoundness,  a  certi- 
ficate from  a  veterinary  surgeon,  particularly  describing  the  un- 
soundness, must  accompany  the  horse  so  returned  ;  when,  if  it  be 
agreed  to  by  the  veterinary  surgeon  of  the  establishment,  the 
amount  received  for  the  horse  shall  be  immediately  paid  back  ; 
but  if  the  veterinary  surgeoa  of  the  establishment  should  not 
confirm  the  certificate,  then,  in  order  to  avoid  further  dispute,  one 
of  the  veterinary  surgeons  of  the  college  shall  be  called  in,  and 
his  decision  shall  be  final,  and  the  expense  of  such  umpire  shall 
be  borne  by  the  party  in  error." 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 


A.    LIST    OF    THE    MEDICINES    USED    IIS     THE    TREATMENT    OF 
THE    DISEASES    OF    THE    HORSE. 

He  will  rarely  consult  his  own  interest,  who,  not  having  had  the 
advantage  of  a  veterinary  education,  undertakes  the  treatment  of 
any  of  the  serious  diseases  of  his  horses.  Many  of  the  maladies 
of  the  horse  nearly  resemble  each  other.  They  are  continually 
varying  their  character,  and  require,  in  their  different  stages,  a 
very  different  treatment,  and  in  the  plainest  case  not  only  the 
characteristic  symptoms  of  disease  are  obscure,  but  even  the  in- 
dications of  returning  health,  or  increasing  danger,  are  often 
scarcely  ascertainable,  conseqently  the  sick  horse,  as  well  as  the 
human  being,  needs  the  care  of  one  whom  study  and  experience 
have  qualified  for  the  task.  A  list  of  the  drugs  generally  em- 
ployed, with  a  slight  account  of  their  history,  adulterations,  and 
medicinal  effects,  will  be  interesting  to  the  horse-proprietor  as 
M^ell  as  to  the  veterinary  surgeon  ;  and  may  occasionally  be  use- 
ful when  professional  aid  cannot  be  obtained.* 

Frequent  reference  will  be  made  to  Professor  Morton'?  most 
valuable  Manual  of  Pharmacy.  This  work  will  be  found  to  be 
a  treasure  to  every  veterinary  surgeon.  Mr.  W.  C.  Spooner's 
Materia  Medica,  in  his  recent  compendium  of  White's  account 
of  the  horse,  will  occasionally  be  laid  under  contribution. 

Acacia  Gummi,  Gum  Arabic. — Many  varieties  of  gujii  arabic 
are  procured  from  Egypt,  Arabia,  and  the  East  Indies.  It  is 
employed  in  the  form  of  a  mucilage,  made  by  dissolving  it  in 
water,  in  the  proportion  of  one  part  of  the  gum  to  three  or 
four  of  water.  Various  insoluble  powders  may  be  thus  suspended, 
or  oils  rendered  miscible,  or  emulsions  formed.  Emulsions 
composed  of  gum  arabic  are  supposed  to  be  useful  in  urinary 
affections, 

AciDUM  AcETicTJM,  AcETic  AciD,  ViNEGAR. — Vinegar  is  a  very 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — We  have  little  to  add  under  this  division  of 
the  work.  The  Pharmacopoeia  in  the  text  was  cautiously  written,  and  is  for 
the  most  oart  correct. 


436  MEDICINES. 

useful  application  for  sprains  and  bruises.  Equal  parts  of  boiling 
water  and  cold  vinegar  will  form  a  good  fomentation.  Extract 
of  lead,  or  bay  salt,  may  be  added  with  some  advantage.  As  an 
internal  remedy,  vinegar  is  rarely  given,  nor  has  it,  except  in 
large  doses,  any  considerable  medicinal  power.  The  veterinarian 
and  the  horse-owner  should  manufacture  their  own  vinegar. 
That  which  they  buy  frequently  contains  sulphuric  acid  and  pun- 
gent spices,  and  irritates  the  inflamed  part  to  which  it  is  applied. 
AciDUM  Arseniosum,  Arsenic  Acid. — Were  it  not  that  some 
practitioners  continue  to  use  it  as  a  tonic,  in  doses  of  from  ten  to 
twenty  grains  daily,  and  others  employ  it  to  core  out  old  ulcers, 
we  should  not  include  it  in  our  list,  for  we  have  little  faith  in  it. 
There  are  better  and  safer  tonics,  and  far  better  and  safer  caus- 
tics, 

ACIDUM     MURIATICUM,    OR     HYDROCHLORIC     AciD  :      SpiRIT     OF 

Salt. — This  acid  is  formed  by  distilling  corrosive  sublimate  with 
antimony.  The  butter-like  matter  which  is  produced  (whence 
the  common  name,  BiUyr  of  Antimony),  has  a  strong  afiinity 
for  water,  which  it  attracts  from  the  atmosphere,  and  thus  be- 
comes converted  into  a  fluid.  The  less  water  it  is  suflered  to 
attract- to  itself  the  more  powerful  it  remains,  and  therefore  it 
should  be  kept  in  stoppered  bottles.  The  proof  of  its  goodness  is 
its  weight.  It  is  decidedly  the  best  liquid  caustic  we  have.  It 
is  most  manageable,  and  its  efiect  can  most  readily  be  ascertained. 
As  soon  as  it  touches  any  muscular  or  living  part,  a  change  of 
color  is  perceived,  and  the  eflect  of  the  caustic  can  be  i'airly 
judged  of  by  the  degree  of  change.  For  corns,  canker,  indispo- 
sition in  the  sole  to  secrete  good  horn,  wounds  in  the  foot  not 
attended  by  healthy  action,  and  for  every  case  where  the  super- 
ficial application  of  a  caustic  is  needed,  this  acid  is  unrivalled. 

AciDUM  NiTRicuM  *.  NiTRic  AciD,  Aquafortis. — Tliis  is  a 
valuable  external  application.  It  is  both  a  caustic  and  an  anti- 
septic. It  destroys  fungous  excrescences.  A  pledget  of  tar  should 
be  dipped  in  the  acid,  and  then  firmly  pressed  on  the  cankerous 
surface.  Every  part  with  which  the  acid  has  come  into  contact 
will  be  deadened  and  slough  ofi^,  and  healthy  -granulations  will 
spring  up. 

AciDUM  Hi'DROciANicuM  :  Prussic  Acid. — This,  in  a  concen- 
trated state,  is  truly  a  deadly  poison  ;  a  few  drops  of  it  will  kill 
a  large  animal.  In  a  diluted  form,  it  is  a  powerfiil  sedative.  In 
doses  of  six  drops,  largely  diluted,  it  abates  both  pulmonary  and 
gastric  irritation.  It  may  be  worth  trying  in  the  form  of  injec- 
tions in  cases  of  tetanus.  It  may  also  be  given  by  the  mouth 
in  the  same  disease.  Nothing  ^'s  more  likely  to  tranquillize  the 
general  excitement  of  the  nei^ous  system.  The  author  of  this 
work  v/as  the  firs',  person  who  applied  the  hydrocyanic  acid  for 


MEDICINES.  437 

.he  purpose  of  allaying  irritation  of  the  skin  in  dogs.  It  seldom 
fails  of  producing  the  desired  eflect,  and  it  has  had  a  similar 
good  ellect  in  subduing  itchiness  and  mange  in  the  horse, 

AciDUM  iSuLniuRicuM,  Sulphuric  Acid,  Oil  of  Vitriol. — 
When  mixed  with  tar  in  the  proportion  of  an  ounce  to  the 
pound,  it  is  a  good  application  for  thrush  and  canker  :  a  smaller 
quantity,  mixed  with  olive  oil,  makes  a  good  stimulating  lini- 
ment. If  too  much  sulphuric  acid  is  added,  either  by  mistake 
or  wilfully,  it  inflames  and  corrodes  the  stomach  and  bowels. 
The  proper  antidotes  in  this  case  are  magnesia,  or  the  carbonate 
of  soda  or  potash,  with  soft  soap.  The  acid  might  possibly  be 
neutralized  by  this  combination.  « 

Actual  Cautery. — See  Caustics. 

Adeps,  Hog's  LaPwD,  very  properly  forms  the  basis  of  most 
of  our  ointments.  It  is  tasteless,  inodorous,  and  free  from  every 
stimulating  quality.  That  cannot  be  said  of  all  the  ingredients 
used  in  the  composition  of  our  unguents. 

Alcohol,  Rectified  Spirit. — This  is  necessarily  used  in 
many  of  our  tinctures  and  other  preparations,  and  is  sometimes 
given  to  the  horse  in  almost  a  pure  state.  Some  horses  that  are 
compelled  to  travel  far  and  quickly,  show  evident  fatigue  before 
they  arrive  at  the  end  of  their  journey.  A  cordial  or  carmina- 
tive tincture,  to  the  extent  of  three  or  four  ounces,  largely  diluted, 
may  occasionally  be  given,  and  they  rally,  and  cheerfully  pursue 
their  journey  to  the  end.  The  groom  or  the  stableman  gives 
the  gin  or  whiskey  of  the  country,  in  preference  to  any  other 
stimulant.  In  cases  of  thorough  fatigue,  the  Dafly's  Elixir  may  be 
administered,  and  probably  rendered  more  stimulant  by  the  addi- 
tion of  pepper.  Mr.  Bracy  Clark  recommends  four  ounces  of  the 
tincture  of  allspice  in  cases  of  gripes.  On  the  other  hand,  some 
veterinary  surgeons  have  preferred  simple  hot  water,  or  the  infu- 
sion of  several  of  our  medicinal  herbs,  as  peppermint,  rosemary, 
&c.  We  should  be  loth,  except  on  extraordinary  occasions,  to 
advocate  the  use  of  any  spirituolis  drink. 

Aloes. — There  are  two  kinds  used  m  horse  practice,  the  Barba- 
does  and  the  Cape.  The  Socotorine,  preferred  by  the  human  sur- 
geon, are  very  uncertain  in  their  effect  on  the  horse,  and  are  seldom 
to  be  met  with  pure.  Of  the  Barbadoes  and  the  Cape,  the  first 
are  much  to  be  preferred. 

The  Barbadoes  are  black,  with  a  sha^Ie  of  brown,  of  an  unctu- 
ous feeling,  with  a  stronger  smell,  broken  with  difficulty,  and  the 
fracture  dull.  The  Cape  are  darker  coloved,  stronger  smelling, 
very  brittle,  and  the  fracture  perfectly  glossy.  Every  veterinary 
surgeon  who  uses  much  aloes  should  buy  them  in  the  mass,  and 
powder  them  at  home,  and  then,  by  attending  to  this  account  of 
the  difference  of  the  two,  he  can  scarcely  be  imposed  upon.     It 


438  MEDICINES. 

is,  however,  the  fact,  that  these  are  mostly  adulterated,  by  their 
being  melted  together.  Aloes  purchased  in  powder  are  too  often 
sadly  adulterated. 

The  Cape  aloes  may  be  powdered  at  all  times,  and  the  Barba- 
does  in  frosty  weather,  when  enough  should  be  prepared,  to  be 
kept  in  closed  bottles,  for  the  year's  consumption.  They  may 
also  be  powdered  when  they  have  been  taken  from  the  gourd,"  and 
exposed  to  a  gentle  heat  for  two  or  three  hours  before  they  arc 
put  into  the  mortar.  In  the  proportion  of  fifteen  ounces  of  the 
powder  mixed  with  one  ounce  of  powdered  gmger,  and  beaten  up 
with  eight  ounces  of  palm  oil,  and  afterwards  divided  into  the 
proper  doses,  it  will  fotm  a  purging  mass  more  effectual,  and 
much  less  likely  to  gripe,  than  any  that  can  be  procured  by  melt- 
ing the  drug.  If  the  physic  is  given  in  the  shape  of  a  ball,  it 
more  readily  dissolves  in  the  stomach,  and  more  certainly  and 
safely  acts  on  the  bowels  when  mingled  with  some  oily  matter, 
like  that  just  recommended,  than  when  combined  with  syrup  or 
honey,  which  are  apt  to  ferment,  and  be  themselves  the  cause  of 
gripes.  It  is  also  worse  than  useless  to  add  any  diuretic  to  the 
mass,  as  soap  or  carbonate  of  soda.  The  action  of  these  on  one 
set  of  organs  will  weaken  that  of  the  aloes  on  another.  A  physic 
mass  should  never  be  kept  more  than  two  or  three  months,  for, 
after  that  time,  it  rapidly  loses  its  purgative  property. 

Directions  for  physicking  will  be  found  at  page  224.  We 
will  only  add  that,  as  a  promoter  of  condition,  the  dose  should 
always  be  mild.  A  few  fluid  stools  will  be  sufficient  for  every 
good  purpose.     Violent  disease  will  alone  justify  violent  purging. 

The  Barbadoes  aloes  have  a  greater  purgative  power  than  the 
Cape  exclusive  of  griping  less  and  being  safer.  In  addition  to 
this,  the  action  of  the  bowels  is  kept  up  longer  by  the  Barbadoes 
aloes  than  by  the  Cape.  If  the  horse  is  well  mashed,  and  care- 
fully exercised,  and  will  drink  plenty  of  warm  water,  the  Cape 
may  be  ventured  on,  or  at  least  mixed  with  equal  quanties  of  the 
Barbadoes  ;  but  if  there  is  any  neglect  of  preparation  for  physic, 
or  during  the  usual  operation  of  the  physic,  the  Cape  are  not 
always  to  be  depended  upon.  The  combination  of  alkaline  com- 
pounds with  aloes  alters  the  results  of  the  medicine.  The  action 
is  quickened,  but  their  purgative  properties  are  impaired,  and 
they  cease  to  operate  specifically  on  the  larger  intestines.  Such 
is  the  opinion  of  Professor  Morton,  and  undoubtedly  the  latter 
would  be  an  advantage  gained.  The  activity  of  the  aloes  may 
be  occasionally  increased  by  a  few  drops  of  the  croton  oil.  Mashes 
are  useful  helps  when  physic  is  administered. 

Some  persons  are  fond  of  what  are  called  half-doses  of  physic. 
Three  or  four  drachms  are  given  on  one  day,  and  three  or  four 
on  the  following  :  and  perhaps,  if  the  medicine  has  not  operated, 


MEDICINES.  439 

as  in  this  divided  state  it  will  not  aiways,  two  or  three  additional 
drachms  are  given  on  the  third  day.  The  consequence  is,  that 
the  bowels  havinj^  been  rendered  irritable  by  the  tbrmer  doses, 
the  horse  is  over-purged,  and  inflammation  and  death  occasion- 
ally ensue.  In  physicking  a  horse,  whatever  is  to  be  done  should 
be  done  at  once.  Whatever  quantity  is  intended  to  be  given 
should  be  given  in  one  dose. 

The  system  of  giving  small  doses  of  aloes  as  alteratives  is  nc 
good.     These  repeated  minute  doses  lodging  in  some  of  the  folds 
of  the  intestines,  and  at  length  uniting,  often  produce  more  eflect 
than  is  desirable.    It  is  never  safe  to  ride  a  horse  far  or  fast,  with 
even  a  small  dose  of  aloes  within  him. 

Most  of  all  objectionable  is  the  custom  of  giving  small  doses 
of  aloes  as  a  nauseant,  in  inflammation  of  the  lungs.  There  is 
so  much  sympathy  between  the  contents  of  the  chest  and  the 
belly  in  the  horse,  and  inflammation  of  one  part  is  so  likely  to 
be  transferred  to  another,  that  it  is  treading  on  very  dangerous 
ground,  when,  with  much  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  that  is 
given  which  will  stimulate  and  may  inflame  the  intestines. 

Aloes  are  most  commonly,  because  most  easily,  administered  in 
ilie  form  of  ball,  but  in  a  state  of  solution  their  eflect  is  more 
speedy,  eflectual  and  safe.^ 

Aloes  are  usetul  in  the  form  of  tincture.  Eight  ounces  of 
powdered  aloes,  and  one  ounce  of  powdered  myrrh,  may  be  put 
into  two  quarts  of  alcohol,  diluted  with  an  equal  quantity  of 
water.  The  mixture  should  be  daily  well  shaken  for  a  fortnight, 
and  then  suflered  to  stand,  in  order  that  the  undissolved  portion 
may  fall  to  the  bottom.  This  will  constitute  a  very  excellent 
application  for  wounds,  whether  recent  or  of  long-standing  and 
indisposed  to  heal.  It  is  not  only  a  gentle  stimulant,  but  it  forms 
a  thin  crust  over  the  wound,  and  shields  it  from  the  action  of  the 
air. 

The  principal  adulteration  of  aloes  is  by  means  of  resin,  and 
the  alteration  of  color  is  concealed  by  the  addition  of  charcoal  or 
lamp-black.  This  adulteration  is  easily  enough  detected  by  dis- 
solving the  aloes  in  hot  water.  All  aloes  contahi  some  resinous 
matter,  which  the  water  will  not  dissolve  and  which  has  very 
slight  purgative  eflect.  The  excess  of  this  resin  at  the  bottom 
of  the  solution  will  mark  the  degree  of  adulteration. 

Alteratives, — are  a  class  of  medicines  the  nature  and  eflect 
of  which  are  often  much  misunderstood,  and  liable  to  considerable 
abuse.  It  is  a  very  convenient  name  in  order  to  excuse  that  pro- 
pensity to  dose  the  horse  with  medicines,  which  is  the  disgrace 
of  the  groom,  and  the  bane  of  the  stable. 

*  See  note  by  Mr.  Spooner,  on  page  225 


44  D  MEDICINES. 

By  alteratives  we  understand  those  drugs  which  effect  ?omc 
slow  change  in  the  diseased  action  of  certain  parts  without  inter- 
i'ering  with  the  food  or  work  ;  but  by  common  consent  the  term 
seems  to  be  confined  to  medicines  for  the  diseases  of  the  circula- 
tion, or  of  the  digestive  organs,  or  of  the  skin.  If  a  horse  is  heavy 
and  incapable  of  work  from  too  good  keep,  or  if  he  is  off  his  food 
from  some  temporary  indigestion — or  if  he  has  mange  or  grease, 
or  cracked  heels,  or  swelled  legs,  a  few  alteratives  are  prescribed, 
and  the  complaint -is  expected  to  be  gradually  and  imperceptibly 
removed.  For  all  skin  affections  there  is  no  better  alterative 
than  that  so  often  recommended  in  this  treatise,  consisting  of 
black  antimony,  nitre,  and  sulphur.  If  there  is  any  tendency  to 
grease,  some  resin  may  be  added  to  each  ball .  If  the  complaint  is  ac- 
companied by  weakness,  a  little  gentian  and  ginger  may  be  farther 
added,  but  we  enter  our  protest  against  the  ignorant  use  of  mer 
cury  in  any  form,  or  any  of  the  mineral  acids,  or  mineral  tonics, 
or  heating  spices,  as  alteratives.  We  indeed  should  be  pleased 
if  we  could  banish  the  term  alterative  from  common  usage.  The 
mode  of  proceeding  which  reason  and  science  would  dictate  is  to 
ascertain  the  nature  and  the  degree  of  the  disease,  and  then  the 
medicine  which  is  calculated  to  restore  the  healthy  action  of  the 
part,  or  of  the  frame  generally. 

Alum, — is  occasionally  used  internally  in  cases  of  over-purging 
in  the  form  of  alum-whey,  two  drachms  of  the  powder  being 
added  to  a  pint  of  hot  milk  ;  but  there  are  much  better  astrin- 
gents, although  this  may  sometimes  succeed  when  others  fail.  If 
alum  is  added  to  a  vegetable  astringent,  as  oak-bark,  the  power 
of  both  is  diminished.  Its  principal  use  is  external.  A  solution 
of  two  drachms  to  a  pint  of  water  forms  alone,  or  Avith  the  addi- 
tion of  a  small  quantity  of  white  vitriol,  a  very  useful  wash  for 
cracked  heels,  and  for  grease  generally  ;  and  also  for  those  forms 
of  swelled  legs  attended  with  exudation  of  moisture  through  the 
skin.  Some  add  the  Goulard  lotion,  forgetting  the  chemical  de 
composition  that  takes  place  ;  the  result  of  which  is,  that  the  al 
umine,  possessing  little  astringency,  is  detached,  and  two  salts 
with  no  astringency  at  all,  the  sulphate  of  lead  and  the  sulphate 
of  potash,  are  formed. 

The  Burnt  Alum  is  inferior  to  the  common  alum  for  the  pur- 
poses mentioned,  and  we  have  better  stimulants,  or  caustics,  to 
apply  to  wounds. 

Anise  Seed, — see  Anisi  Semina. 

Ammonia,  Hap^tshorn, — is,  to  the  annoyance  of  the  horse,  and 
the  injury  of  his  eyes  and  his  lungs,  plentifully  extricated  from 
the  putrefying  dung  and  urine  of  the  stable  ;  but,  when  combined 
with  water  in  the  common  form  of  hartshorn,  it  is  seldom  used  in 
veterinary  practice      It  has  been  given,  and  with  decided  benefit 


MEDICINES.  441 

and  when  other  thinp^s  have  failed,  in  flatulent  colic  ;  and  is  best 
administered  in  the  form  of  the  aromatic  spirit  of  ammonia,  and 
in  doses  of  one  or  two  ounces,  in  warm  water. 

Chloride  of  Ammonia, — or  sal  ammoniac,  is  scarcely  deservingr 
of  a  place  in  our  list.  It  is  not  now  used  internally  ;  and  as  an 
astringent  embrocation,  it  must  yield  to  several  that  are  more  ef- 
fectual, and  less  likely  to  blemish. 

Anisi  Semina,  Anise  Seed. — This  seed  is  here  mentioned  prin- 
cipally as  a  record  of  old  times,  when  it  was  one  of  the  sheet- 
anchors  of  the  farrier.  It  is  not  yet  quite  discarded  from  his  shop 
as  a  stimulant,  a  carminative,  and  a  cordial. 

Anodynes. — Of  these  there  is  but  cJne  in  horse  practice  :  Opium 
is  the  only  drug  that  will  lull  pain.  It  may  be  given  as  an  ano- 
dyne, but  it  will  also  be  an  astringent  in  doses  of  one,  two,  oi 
three  drachms. 

Antimony. — There  are  several  valuable  preparations  of  thig 
metal. 

The  Black  Sesqui-Sulphuret  of  Antimony,  a  compound  of 
sulphur  and  antimony,  is  a  good  alterative.  It  is  given  with 
more  sulphur  and  with  nitre,  in  varying  doses,  according  to  the 
disease,  and  the  slow  or  rapid  effect  intended  to  be  produced.  It 
should  never  be  bought  in  powder  whatever  trouble  there  may  be 
in  pulverizing  it,  for  it  is  often  grossly  adulterated  with  lead, 
manganese,  forge-dust,  and  arsenic.  The  adulteration  may  be 
detected  by  placing  a  little  of  the  powder  on  a  red-hot  iron  plate. 
The  pure  sulphuret  will  evaporate  without  the  slightest  res- 
idue— so  will  the  arsenic  :  but  there  will  be  an  evident  smell  of 
garlic.  A  portion  of  the  lead  and  the  manganese  will  be  left 
behind. 

Antimonii  Potassio  Tartras,  Emetic  Tartar. — The  tartrate 
of  potash  and  antimony,  or  a  combination  of  super-tartrate  of 
potash  and  oxide  of  antimony,  is  a  very  useful  nauseant,  and  has 
considerable  effect  on  the  skin.  It  is  particularly  valuable  in  in- 
flammation of  the  lungs,  and  in  every  catarrhal  affection.  It  is 
given  in  doses  of  from  one  drachm  to  a  drachm  and  a  half,  and 
combined  with  nitre  and  digitalis.  It  is  also  beneficial  in  the 
expulsion  of  worms.  It  should  be  given  in  doses  of  two  drachms, 
and  with  some  mechanical  vermifuge,  as  tin  filings,  or  grcund 
glass,  and  administered  on  an  empty  stomach,  and  for  several 
successive  days.  Although  it  may  sometimes  fail  to  expel  the 
worms,  it  will  materially  improve  the  condition  of  the  horse,  and 
produce  sleekness  of  the  coat.  To  a  slight  degree  the  emetic  tar- 
tar is  decomposed  by  the  action  of  light,  and  should  be  kept  in  a 
jar,  or  green  bottle.  It  is  sometimes  adulterated  Avith  arsenic, 
which  is  detected  by  the  garlic  smell  when  it  is  placed  on  hot 
iron,  and  also  by  its  not  giving  a  beautiful  gold-colored  precipitate 


442  MEDICINES. 

when  sulphuret  of  ammonia  is  added  to  a  solution  of  it.  It  has 
also  been  externally  applied  in  oliest  affections,  in  combination 
with  lard,  and  in  quantities  of  from  one  drachm  to  two  drachms 
of  the  antimony,  to  an  ounce  of  the  lard  ;  but,  except  in  extreme 
oases,  recourse  should  not  be  had  to  it,  on  account  of  the  exten- 
sive sloughino'  which  it  sometimes  produces. 

Aqua  Fortis, — see  Acidum  Nitricum. 

Arabic  Gum, — see  Acacia  Gummi. 

PuLvis  Antimonu  Compositus,  the  Compound  Powder  of  An- 
timony, James'  Powder. — It  is  employed  as  a  sudorific  in  fever, 
either  alone  or  in  combination  with  mercurials.  The  dose  is  from 
one  to  two  drachms.  The* late  Mr.  Bloxam  used  to  trust  to  it 
alone  in  the  treatment  of  Epidemic  Catarrh  in  the  horse.  It  is, 
however,  decidedly  inferior  to  Emetic  Tartar.  It  is  often  adul- 
terated with  chalk  and  burnt  bones,  and  other  white  powders, 
and  that  to  so  shameful  a  degree,  that  little  dependence  can  be 
placed  on  the  antimonial  powder  usually  sold  by  druggists.  The 
muriatic  or  sulphuric  acids  will  detect  most  of  these  adultera 
tions. 

Anti-spasmodics. — Of  these  our  lirt  is  scanty,  for  the  horse  is 
subject  only  to  a  few  spasmodic  diseases,  and  there  are  fewer 
medicines  which  have  an  anti-spasmodic  effect.  Opium  stands 
first  for  its  general  power,  and  that  exerted  particularly  in  locked- 
jaw.  Oil  of  turpentine  is  almost  a  specific  for  spasm  of  the 
bowels.  Camphor,  assafoetida,  and  various  other  medicines,  used 
on  the  human  subject,  have  a  very  doubtful  effect  on  the  horse, 
or  may  be  considered  as  almost  inert. 

Argentum,  Silver,  Lunap^  Caustic. — One  combination  only  of 
this  metal  is  used,  and  that  as  a  manageable  and  excellent  caus- 
tic, viz.,  the  Lunar  Caustic.  It  is  far  preferable  to  the  hot  iron, 
or  to  any  acid,  for  the  destruction  of  the  part  if  a  horse  should 
have  been  bitten  by  a  rabid  dog  ;  and  it  stands  next  to  the  butyr 
of  antimony  for  the  removal  of  fungus  generally.  It  has  not  yet 
been  administered  internally  to  the  horse. 

Arsenic. — This  drug  used  to  be  employed  as  a  tonic,  in  order 
to  core  out  old  ulcers  ;  but  it  is  now  seldom  employed,  for  there 
are  better  and  safer  tonics,  and  far  better  and  safer  caustics. 

Balls. — The  usual  and  the  most  convenient  mode  of  adminis- 
tering veterinary  medicines  is  in  the  form  of  balls,  compounded 
with  oil,  and  not  with  honey  or  syrup,  on  account  of  their  longer 
keeping  soft  and  more  easily  dissolving  in  the  stomach.  Balls 
should  never  weigh  more  than  an  ounce  and  a  half,  otherwise 
they  will  be  so  large  as  not  to  pass  without  difficulty  down  the 
gullet.  They  should  not  be  more  than  an  inch  in  diameter  and 
three  inches  in  length.  The  mode  of  delivering  balls  is  not  diffi- 
cult to  acquire  ;  but  the  balling-iron,  while  it  often  wounds  and 


MEDICINES  443 

permanently  injures  the  bars,  occasions  the  horse  to  strupfole  more 
than  he  otherwise  would  against  the  administration  of  the  medi- 
cine. The  horse  should  be  backed  in  the  stall ; — the  tongue 
should  be  drawui  gently  out  with  the  left  hand  on  the  off  side  of 
the  mouth,  and  there  fixed,  not  by  continuing  to  pull  at  it,  but 
by  pressing  the  fingers  against  the  side  of  the  lower  jaw.  The 
ball,  being  now  taken  between  the  tips  of  the  fingers  of  the  right 
hand,  is  passed  rapidly  up  the  mouth,  as  near  to  the  palate  as 
possible,  until  it  reaches  the  root  of  the  tongue.  It  is  then  deliv- 
ered with  a  slight  jerk,  and  the  hand  being  immediately  with- 
drawal and  the  tongue  liberated,  the  ball  is  forced  through  the 
pharynx  into  the  (Esophagus.  Its  passage  should  be  watched 
down  the  left  side  of  the  throat ;  and  if  the  passage  of  it  is  not 
seen  going  down,  a  slight  tap  or  blow  under  the  chin  will  gen- 
erally cause  the  horse  to  swallow  it,  or  a  few  gulps  of  water  will 
convey  it  into  the  stomach.  Very  few  balls  should  be  kept  ready 
made,  for  they  become  so  hard  as  to  be  incapable  of  passing  down 
the  gullet,  or  dissolving  in  the  stomach,  and  the  life  of  the  horse 
may  be  endangered  or  lost..  This  is  peculiarly  liable  to  be  the 
case  if  the  ball  is  too  large,  or  wrapped  in  thick  paper. 

Balsam  of  Capivi, — see  Copaiba. 

Bark,  Peruvian. — A  concentrated  preparation  of  this  is  entitled 
the  Sulphate  of  Q^uinine.  The  simple  bark  is  now  seldom  used 
If  it  has  any  good  effect,  it  is  in  diabetes.  The  quinine,  however, 
is  strongly  recommended^by  Professor  Morton  as  singularly  effica- 
cious in  the  prostration  of  strength  which  is  often  the  conseonence 
of  influenza. 

Basilicon  Ointment, — is  a  valuable  digestive  ointment,  com- 
posed of  resin,  bees- wax,  and  olive-oil.  If  it  is  needed  as  a  stim- 
ulant, a  little  turpentine  and  verdigris  may  be  added. 

Belladonna  Extractum,  Extract  of  Deadly  Nightshade. — 
The  inspissated  juice  is  principally  used  as  a  narcotic  and  sed*?- 
tive,  and  indicated  where  there  is  undue  action  of  the  nervous 
and  vascular  systems,  as  in  tetanus,  carditis,  and  nervous  affec- 
tions generally.  Externally,  it  is  beneficially  applied  to  tne 
eye. 

Blisters, — are  applications  to  the  skin  which  separate  the  cu- 
ticle in  the  form  of  vesicles  containing  a  serous  fluid.  They  ex- 
cite increased  action  in  the  vessels  of  the  skin,  by  means  of  which 
this  fluid  is  thrown  out.  The  part,  or  neighboring  parts,  are  some- 
what relieved  by  the  discharge,  but  more  by  the  inflammation 
and  pain  that  are  produced,  and  lessen  that  previously  existing  in 
some  contiguous  part.  On  this  principle  we  account  for  the  de- 
cided relief  often  obtained  by  blisters  in  inflammation  of  the  lungs, 
and  their  efficacy  in  abating  deeply-seated  disease,  as  that  of  the 
tendons,  ligaments,  or  joints;  and  also  the  necessity  of  previously 


444  MEDICINES. 

removing,  in  tlic.se  latter  cases,  the  superficial  inflami..iation  caused 
by  them,  in  order  that  one  of  a  different  kind  may  be  excited,  and 
to  which  the  deeply-seated  inflammation  of  the  part  will  be  more 
likely  to  yield.  The  blisters  used  in  horse-practice  are  composed 
of  cantharides  or  the  oil  of  turpentine,  to  which  some  have  added 
a  tincture  of  the  croton-nut. 

The  art  of  blistering  consists  in  cutting,  or  rather  shaving,  the 
hair  perfectly  close ;  then  well  rubbing  in  the  ointment,  for  at 
least  ten  minutes ;  and,  afterwards,  and  what  is  of  the  greatest 
consequence  of  all,  plastering  a  little  more  of  the  ointment  lightly 
over  the  part  and  leaving  it.  As  soon  as  the  vesicles  have  per- 
fectly risen,  which  will  be  in  twenty  or  twenty-four  hours,  the  tor- 
ture of  the  animal  may  be  somewhat  relieved  by  the  application 
of  olive  or  neat's-foot  oil,  or  any  emollient  ointment. 

When  too  extensive  a  blister  has  been  employed,  or,  from  the 
intensity  of  the  original  inflammation,  the  blister  has  not  risen  (for 
no  two  intense  inflammations  can  exist  in  neighboring  parts  at  the 
same  time),  strangury — great  difficulty  in  passing  urine,  and  even 
suppression  of  it — has  occurred.  The  careful  washing  off  of  the 
blister,  and  the  administration  of  plenty  of  warm  water,  with 
opium,  and  bleeding  if  the  symptoms  run  high,  will  generally  re- 
move this  unpleasant  effect. 

For  some  important  remarks  on  the  composition,  application, 
and  management  of  the  blister,  see  page  362, 

Bole  Armenian, — is  an  argillaceous  earth  combined  with  iron, 
and  is  supposed  to  possess  some  astringent  property.  The  pro- 
priety of  its  being  administered  inwardly  is  doubtful ;  for  it  may 
remain  in  the  intestinal  canal,  and  become  the  nucleus  of  a  cal- 
culus. On  account  of  its  supposed  astringency,  it  is  employed  ex- 
ternally to  give  consistence  to  ointments  for  grease.  Even  the 
bole  Armenian  has  not  escaped  the  process  of  adulteration,  and  is 
largely  mixed  with  inferior  earths.  The  fraud  may  be  suspected, 
but  not  satisilictorily  detected,  by  the  color  of  the  powder,  which 
should  be  a  bright  red. 

Calamine  Powder. — See  Zinc. 

Calomel. — See  Hydrargyrum. 

Camphor, — is  the  produce  of  one  of  the  laurus  species,  a  native 
of  Japan,  and  too  often  imitated  by  passing  a  stream  of  chlorine 
through  oil  of  turpentine.  According  to  Professor  Morton,  it  is  a 
narcotic.  It  diminishes  the  frequency  of  the  pulse,  and  softens  its 
tone.  When  long  exhibited,  it  acts  on  the  kidneys.  Externally 
applied,  it  is  said  to  be  a  discutient  and  an  anodyne  for  chronic 
sprains,  bruises,  and  tumors.  The  camph(yr  ball  is  a  favorite  one 
with  the  groom,  and  occasionally  administered  by  the  veterinary 
surgeon.  Mr.  W.  C.  Spooner  uses  it,  mixed  with  opium,  in  cases 
of  locked-jaw,  and  in  doses  of  from  one  to  two  drachms.     In  the 


medici^nES.  445 

form  of  camphorated  oil,  it  promotes  the  ahsorption  of  fluids 
thrown  out  beneath  the  skin,  the  removal  of  old  callus,  and  the 
suppling  of  joints  stifl' from  labor.  Combined  with  oil  of  turpen- 
tine it  is  more  efiective,  but  in  this  combination  it  occasionally 
blemishes.* 

Cantharides,  Spanish  Flies, — are  the  basis  of  the  most  ap- 
proved and  useful  veterinary  blisters.  The  cantharis  is  a  fly, 
tlie  native  of  Italy  and  the  south  of  France.  It  is  destroyed 
by  sulphur,  dried  and  powdered,  and  mixed  with  palm-oil  and 
resin.  Its  action  is  intense,  and  yet  superficial ;  it  plenti- 
fully raises  the  cuticle,  yet  rarely  injures  the  true  skin,  and 
therefore  seldom  blemishes.  The  application  of  other  acrid 
substances  is  occasionally  followed  by  deeply-seated  ulcerations  ; 
but  a  blister  composed  of  the  Spanish  fly  alone,  while  it  does 
its  duty,  leaves,  after  a  few  weeks  have  passed,  scarcely  a  trace 
behind. 

An  infusion  of  two  ounces  of  the  flies  in  a  pint  of  oil  of  turpen- 
tine, for  several  days,  is  occasionally  used  as  a  liquid  blister  ;  and, 
when  sufficiently  lowered  with  common  oil,  it  is  called  a  siveat- 
iiig  oil,  for  it  maintains  a  certain  degree  of  irritation  and  inflamma- 
tion on  the  skin,  yet  not  sufficient  to  blister,  and  thus  gradually 
abates  or  removes  some  old  or  deep  inflammation,  or  cause  of 
lameness. 

Of  late  cantharides  have  come  into  more  general  use.  Tliey 
were  recommended  by  Mr.  Vines,  in  combination  with  vegetable 
bitters,  as  a  stimulating  tonic,  in  cases  of  debility.  He  next  ap- 
plied them  for  the  cure  of  glanders,  and  with  considerable  suc- 
cess. The  veterinary  public  is  much  indebted  to  Mr.  Vines  for 
the  steadiness  with  which  he  has  followed  up  the  employment  of 
the  Spanish  fly.  The  dose  is  from  five  to  eight  grains  given  daily, 
but  Avithheld  for  a  day  or  two"  when  diuresis  supervenes. 

Capsici  Bacc.e,  Capsicum  Berries.  Guinea  Pepper. — They 
are  valuable  as  stimulants  affecting  the  system  generally,  yet  not 
Coo  much  accelerating  the  pulse.  Their  beneficial  effect  in  cases 
of  cold  has  seldom  been  properly  estimated.  The  dose  is  from  a 
scruple  to  half  a  drachm. 

Caraway  Seeds. — These  and  ginger,  alone  or  combined,  are 
the  best  stimulants  used  in  horse-practice. 

Caaeonate  of  Iron. — See  under  Ferrum. 

Cascarilla  Bark, — Tonic  as  well  as  aromatic.  It  must  not, 
however,  be  used  Avith  the  sulphates  of  iron  or  zinc. 

Castor  Oil,  Olium  Ricini. — An  expensive  medicine.  It  must 
be  given  in  large  doses,  and  even  then  it  is  uncertain  in  its  effects. 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — Camphor  is  a  sedative  and  slight  narcotic,  and 
as  such,  may  be  exhibited  in  fever  balls  with  advantage.  It  hii-s  al<o  been 
found  useful,  combmed  with  opium,  in  relieving  the  spasms  of  locked-jaw. 


446  MEDICINES. 

Mild  as  is  its  operation  in  most  animals,  it  sometimes  gripes,  and 
even  endangers  the  horse. 

Catechu,  Japan  Earth, — yet,  no  earth,  but  extracted  from 
the  wood  of  one  of  the  acacia  trees,  is  a  very  useful  astringent. 
It  is  given  in  over  purging,  in  doses  of  one  or  two  drachms, 
with  opium,  as  a  yet  more  powerful  astringent ;  chalk,  to  neu- 
tralize any  acid  in  the  stomach  or  bowels  ;  and  powdered  gum, 
to  sheath  the  over-irritated  mucous  coat  of  the  intestines.  It  is 
not  often  adulterated  in  our  country,  but  grossly  so  abroad — fine 
sand  and  alumnious  earth  being  mixed  with  the  extract.  It  is 
seldom  given  with  any  alkali,  yet  the  prescription  just  recom- 
mended contains  chalk  :  but,  although  the  chalk,  as  an  alkan. 
may  weaken  the  astringency  of  the  catechu,  it  probably  neu- 
tralizes some  acid  in  the  stomach  or  bowels,  that  would  have 
diminished  the  power  of  the  catechu  to  a  greater  degree.  It 
must  not  be  given  in  conjunction  with  any  metallic  salt,  for  the 
tannin  or  gallic  acid,  on  Avhich  its  power  chiefly  or  entirely 
depends,  has  an  affinity  for  all  metals,  and  will  unite  with  them, 
and  form  a  gallate  of  them,  possessing  little  astringent  energy 
Common  ink  is  the  union  of  this  tannin  principle  with  iron. 

A  tincture  of  catechu  is  sometimes  made  by  macerating  three 
ounces  of  the  powder  in  a  quart  of  spirit  for  a  fortnight.  It  is 
an  excellent  application  for  wounds  ;  and,  with  the  aloes,  con- 
stitutes all  that  we  want  of  a  balsamic  nature  for  the  purpose 
of  hastening  the  healing  process  of  wounds. 

Caustics, — are  substances  that  burn  or  destroy  the  parts  to 
which  they  are  applied.  First  among  them  stands  the  red-hot 
iron,  or  actual  cautery,  and  then  pure  alkalies,  potash,  and  soda, 
and  the  sulphuric  and  nitrous  acids.  Milder  caustics  are  found 
in  the  sulphate  of  copper,  red  precipitate,  burnt  alum,  and  ver- 
digris. They  are  principally  used  to  destroy  fungous  excrescences, 
or  stimulate  indolent  tumors,  or  remove  portions  of  cellular  sub- 
stance, or  muscle  infected  by  any  poison. 

Chalk, — see  Creta  Preparata. 

Chamomile,  Anthemis. — The  powder  of  the  flower  is  a  use- 
ful vegetable  ionic,  and  the  mildest  in  our  list.  ,  It  is  given  in 
doses  of  one  or  two  drachms,  and  is  exhibited  in  the  early  stage 
of  convalescence  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  the  febrile  stage 
of  the  disease  is  passed,  and  to  prepare  the  way  for  a  more  pow- 
erful tonic,  the  gentian.  If  no  acceleration  of  pulse,  or  heat  of 
mouth,  or  indication  of  return  of  fever,  accompanies  the  cautious 
use  of  chamomile,  the  gentian,  with  carbonate  of  iron,  may  be 
safely  ventured  upon ;  but  if  the  gentian  had  been  first  used, 
and  a  little  too  soon,  there  might  have  been  considerable,  and 
perhaps  dangerous  return  of  fever. 

Charcoal,— is  occasionally  used  as  an  antiseptic,  being  made 


MEDICINES.  44*7 

into  a  poultice  witn  linseed  meal,  and  applied  to  foul  and  ofTen- 
sive  ulcers,  and  to  cracked  heels.  It  removes  the  fcetid  and  un 
wholesome  smell  that  occasionally  proceeds  from  them. 

Charges, — are  thick,  adhesive  plasters  spread  over  parts  thai 
have  been  strained  or  weakened,  and,  being  applied  to  the  skin, 
adhere  for  a  considerable  time.  The  following  mixture  makes 
good  charge — Burgundy  or  common  pitch,  five  ounces  ;  tar,  siy 
ounces ;  yellow  wax,  one  ounce,  melted  together,  and  when 
they  are  becoming  cool,  half  a  drachm  of  powdered  cantharides 
well  stirred  in.  This  must  be  partially  melted  afresh  when 
applied,  and  spread  on  the  part  with  a  large  spatula,  as  hot  as 
can  be  done  without  giving  the  animal  too  much  pain.  Flocks 
of  tow  should  be  scattered  over  it  while  it  is  warm,  and  thus  a 
thick  and  adhesive  covering  will  be  formed  that  cannot  be 
separated  from  the  skin  for  many  months.  It  is  used  for  old 
sprains  of  the  loins,  and  also  strains  of  the  back  sinews.  The 
charge  acts  in  three  ways — by  the  slight  stimulant  power  which 
it  possesses  it  gradually  removes  all  deep-seated  inflammation — 
by  its  stimulus  and  its  pressure  it  promotes  the  absorption  of  any 
callus  or  thickening  beneath  ;  and,  acting  as  a  constant  bandage 
it  gives  tone  and  strength  to  the  part. 

Chloride  of  Lime, — see  under  Lime. 

Chloroform, — see  note.=^ 

Clysters. — These  are  usHiui  and  too  often  neglected  means 
of  hastening  the  evacuation  of  the  bowels  when  the  disease 
requires  their  speedy  ;ictioii.  The  old  ox-bladder  and  wooden 
pipe  may  still  be  employed,  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  fluid 
thrown  into  the  intestine  :  but  tlie  patent  stomach  and  clyster 
pump  of  Mr.  Reid  is  far  preferable,  as  enabling  the  practitioner 
to  inject  a  greater  quantity  of  fluid,  and  in  a  less  time. 

Two  ounces  of  soft  or  "yellow  soap,  dissolved  in  a  gallon  of 
warm  water,  will  form  a  useful  aperient  clyster.  It  will  detach 
or  dissolve  many  irritating  substances  that  may  have  adhered  to 
the  mucous  coat  of  the  bowels.  For  a  more  active  aperient, 
half  a  pound  of  Epsoiji  salts,  or  even  of  common  salt,  may  be 
dissolved  in  the  same  quantity  of  water.  A  stronger  injection, 
but  not  to  be  used  if  much  purgative  medicine  has  been  pre- 
viously given,  may  be  composed  of  an  ounce  of  Barbadoes  aloes 
dissolved  in  two  or  three  quarts  of  warm  water.  If  nothing 
else  can  be  procured,  warm  water  may  be   employed  ;  it  will 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — Chloroform,  or  the  percliloride  of  formyle,  has 
been  found  to  be  a  better  anaesthetic  agent  than  sulphuric  ether,  and  has 
also  been  used  internally  for  spasms  of  the  bowels.  The  objection  to  its 
use  as  a  destroyer  of  sensation  is  the  quantity  required  to  be  taken, 
amounting,  indeed,  to  several  ounces.  The  writer  has  employed  it  suocessi 
fully  in  many  operations 


44b  MEDICINES. 

act  as  a  fomentation  to  the  inflamed  and  irritalDle  surface  of  the 
bowels,  and  will  have  no  inconsiderable  effect  even  as  an  ape- 
rient. 

In  cases  of  over-purging  or  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  the 
injection  must  be  of  a  soothing  nature.  It  may  consist  of  gruel 
alone,  or,  if  the  purging  is  considerable,  and  difficult  to  stop,  the 
ruel  must  be  thicker,  and  four  ounces  of  prepared  or  powdered 
chalk  well  mixed  with  or  suspended  in  it,  with  two  scruples  or 
a  drachm  of  powdered  opium. 

No  oil  should  enter  into  the  composition  of  a  clyster,  except 
that  linseed  oil  may  be  used  for  the  expulsion  of  the  ascarides, 
or  needle-worms. 

In  epidemic  catarrh,  when  the  horse  sometimes  obstinately 
refuses  to  eat  or  to  drink,  his  strength  may  be  supported  by 
nourishing  clysters ;  but  they  should  consist  of  thick  gruel  only, 
and  not  more  than  a  quart  should  be  administered  at  once.  A 
greater  quantity  would  be  ejected  soon  alter  the  pipe  is  with- 
drawn. Strong  broths,  and  more  particularly  ale  and  wine,  are 
dangerous  ingredients.  They  may  rapidly  aggravate  the  fever, 
and  should  never  be  administered,  excej^t  under  the  superin- 
tendence, or  by  the  direction,  of  a  veterinary  surgeon. 

The  principal  art  of  administering  a  clyster  consists  in  not 
frightening  the  horse.  The  pipe,  well  oiled,  should  be  very 
gently  introduced,  and  the  fluid  not  too  hastily  thrown  into  the 
intestine  ;  its  heat  being  as  nearly  as  possible  that  of  the  intes- 
tine, or  about  96°  of  Fahrenheit's  thermometer. 

CoLLYRiA,  Lotions  for  the  Eye. — These  have  been  suffi- 
ciently described  when  inflammation  of  the  eyes  was  treated  of 

Copaiba,  Balsam  of  Cafivi. — The  resin  is  obtained  from  a 
tree  growing  in  South  America  and  the  West  India  Islands.  It 
IS  expensive,  much  adulterated,  and  seldom  used  ;  for  its  proper- 
ties differ  but  little  from  those  of  common  diuretics. 

Copper. — There  are  two  combinations  of  this  metal  used  in 
veterinary  practice  :  the  verdigris  or  subacetate,  and  the  blue 
vitriol  or  sulphate. 

Verdigris,  or  Subacetate  of  Copiier  is  the  common  rust  ol 
that  metal  produced  by  subjecting  it  to  the  action  of  acetic  acid. 
It  is  given  internally  by  some  practitioners,  in  doses  of  two  oi 
three  drachms  daily,  as  a  tonic,  and  particularly  for  the  cure  of 
farcy.  It  is,  however,  an  uncertain  and  dangerous  medicine. 
The  corrosive  sublimate,  with  vegetable  tonics,  as  recommended 
at  page  117,  is  preferable.  Verdigris  is,  however,  usefully  ap- 
plied externally  as  a  mild  caustic.  Either  alone,  in  the  form 
of  fine  powder,  or  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of  the  sugar 
(superacetate)  of  lead,  it  eats  down  proud  flesh,  or  stimulates  old 
ulcers  to  healthy  action.     When  boiled  with  honey  and  vinegar, 


MEDICINES.  449 

it  constitutes  the  farriers'  Egyptiacum,  certainly  of  benefit  in 
cankered  or  ulcerated  mouth,  and  no  bad  application  for  thrushes  ; 
but  yielding,  as  it  regards  both,  to  better  remedies,  that  ar*? 
mentioned  under  the  proper  heads.  Some  practitioners  use 
alum  and  oil  of  vitriol  in  making  their  Egyptiacum,  forgetting 
the  strange  decomposition  which  is  produced. 

Blue  Vitriol  or  Sulpliate  of  Cojiper  is  the  union  of  sulphuric 
acid  and  copper.  It  is  a  favorite  tonic  with  many  practitioners, 
and  has  been  vaunted  as  a  specific  for  glanders  ;  while  others, 
and  we  think  properly,  have  no  very  good  opinion  of  it  in  either 
respect.  As  a  cure  for  glanders,  its  reputation  has  nearly  passed 
away.  As  a  tonic,  when  the  horse  is  slowly  recovering  from  se- 
vere illness,  it  is  dangerous,  and  its  internal  use  should  be  con- 
fined to  cases  of  long-continued  discharge  from  the  nostril,  when 
catarrh  or  fever  has  ceased.  It  may  then  be  given  with  benefit 
in  doses  of  from  one  to  two  drachms  twice  in  the  day,  and  always 
combined  with  gentian  and  ginger.  It  is  principally  valuable 
as  an  external  application,  dissolved  in  water  in  the  proportion 
of  two  drachms  to  a  pint,  and  acting  as  a  gentle  stimulant.  If 
an  ounce  is  dissolved  in  the  same  quantity  of  water,  it  becomes  a 
mild  caustic.  In  the  former  proportion,  it  rouses  old  ulcers  to  a 
healthy  action,  and  disposes  even  recent  wounds  to  heal  more 
quickly  than  they  otherwise  would  do  ;  and  in  the  latter  it  re- 
moves fungous  granulations  or  proud  flesh.  The  blue  vitriol  is 
sometimes  reduced  to  powder  and  sprinkled  upon  the  wound  for 
this  purpose  :  it  is  also  a  good  application  for  canker  in  the  foot. 

Copperas, — See  under  Ferrum. 

Cordials, — are  useful  or  injurious  according  to  the  judgment 
with  which  they  are  given.  When  a  horse  comes  home 
thoroughly  exhausted,  and  refuses  his  food,  a  cordial  may  be  bene- 
ficial. It  may  rouse  the  stomach  and  the  system  generally,  and 
may  prevent  cold  and  fever  ;  but  it  is  poison  to  the  animal  when 
administered  after  the  cold  is  actually  caught  and  fever  begins  to 
appear.  More  to  be  reprobated  is  the  practice  of  gWm^  frequent 
cordials,  that  by  their  stimulus  on  the  stomach,  (the  skin  sympa- 
thising so  much  with  that  viscus,)  a  fine  coat  may  be  produced. 
The  artificial  excitement  of  the  cordial  soon  becomes  as  necessary 
to  enable  the  horse  to  do  even  common  work,  as  is  the  excite- 
ment of  the  dram  to  sustain  the  animal  spirits  of  the  drunkard. 

In  order  to  recall  the  appetite  of  the  horse  slowly  recovering 

from  illness,  a  cordial  may  sometimes  be  allowed  ;  or  to  old  horses 

that  have  been  worked  hard  and  used  to  these  excitements  when 

young  ;  or  to  draught  horses,  that  have  exhibited  slight  symptoms 

of  sta|  gers  when  their  labor  has  been  unusually  protracted  and 

their  stomachs  left  too  long  empty  ;  or  mixed  with  diuretic  med 

icine,  to  fine  the  lejjs  of  the  over- worked  and  debilitated  animal  , 
^   29 


450  MEDICINES. 

but  in  1.0  other  case  should  they  obtain  a  place  in  the  stable,  or 
be  used  at  the  discretion  of  the  carter  or  the  groom. 

Corrosive  Sublimate. — See  under  Hydrargyrum. 

Cream  of  Tartar. — See  under  Potash. 

Creasote, — has  very  lately  been  introduced  into  veterinary 
practice,  and  is  much  valued  on  account  of  its  antiseptic  proper- 
ties. It  is  obtained  by  the  destructive  distillation  of  various  sub- 
tances,  as  pyroligneous  acid,  tar,  wood,  smoke,  &c.  Pure  crea- 
sote is  colorless  and  transparent  ;  its  odor  is  that  of  smoked  meat, 
and  its  taste  is  caustic  and  burning.  It  coagulates  the  albumen 
of  the  blood,  and  hence  has  been  lately  employed  in  stopping  haer- 
morrhages.  It  acts  very  powerfully  on  the  general  system,  and 
:iuickly  destroys  small  animals..  Professor  Morton  gives  a  very 
interesting  and  faithful  account  of  it.  It  is,  according  to  him, 
both  a  stimulant  and  a  tonic.  In  an  undiluted  state  it  acts  as  a 
caustic.  When  diluted  it  is  a  general  excitant  and  an  antisep- 
tic. In  the  form  of  a  lotion,  a  liniment,  or  an  ointment,  it  has 
been  useful  in  farcy  and  glanders,  also  in  foot-rot,  canker,  and 
thrush, — mange,  carries  excessive  suppuration,  and  the  oppression 
of  fungous  granulations.  As  a  caustic  it  acts  as  a  powerful  stim- 
ulant, and  is  an  antiseptic. 

Creta  Preparata, — is  principally  used  in  combination  with 
catechu  and  opium  in  cases  of  super-purgation.  All  adventitious 
matters  are  removed  by  washing,  and  the  prepared  or  pulverized 
chalk  remains  in  the  form  of  an  impalpable  powder.  It  is  usu- 
ally administered  in  doses  of  two  or  three  ounces.  It  is  externally 
applied  over  ulcers  that  discharge  a  thin  and  ichorous  matter. 

Croton  Seeds. — The  croton-nut  has  not  been  long  introduced 
into  veterinary  practice,  although  it  has  been  used  from  time  im- 
memorial by  the  inhabitants  of  India  as  a  powerful  purgative. 
An  oil  has  been  extracted  from  it,  and  used  by  the  surgeon  ;  the 
meal  is  adopted  by  the  veterinarian.  It  is  given  in  doses  from  a 
scruple  to  half  a  drachm,  and  from  its  acrid  nature,  in  the  form 
of  a  ball,  with  an  ounce  of  linseed  meal.  When  it  does  operate 
the  effect  is  generally  observed  in  six  or  eight  hours,  the  stools 
being  profuse  and  watery,  and  the  patient  frequently  griped.  On 
account  of  its  speedy  operation,  it  may  be  given  in  locked-jaw 
and  staggers  :  and  also  in  dropsy  of  the  chest  or  belly,  from  the 
watery  and  profuse  stools  which  it  produces  ;  but  it  is  often  un- 
certain in  its  operation,  and  its  griping,  and  the  debility  which 
it  occasions,  are  serious  objections  to  it  as  common  physic. 
When  placed  on  the  tongue  of  the  horse  in  quantities  varying 
from  twenty  to  forty  drops,  it  produces  purging,  but  the  mem- 
brane of  the  mouth  frequently  becomes  violently  inflamed.  This 
likewise  happens,  but  not  to  so  great  a  degree,  when  it  is  given 
in  the  form  of  a  drink,  or  in  a  mash. 


MEDICINES.  4'>i 

Deadly  Nightshade, — extract  of,  see  Belladonna  Extrac- 

T-JM. 

Demulcents, — are  substances  that  have  the  power  of  dimin- 
ishing the  eHect  of  acrimonious  or  stimulating  substances.  The 
first,  by  some  oily  or  mucilaginous  substance,  sheaths  the  sensible 
parts.  The  other  dilutes  the  stimulus,  and  diminishes  its  power. 
It  will  rarely  be  difficult  to  determine  which  effect  should  be 
produced,  and  the  means  by  which  it  is  to  be  effected. 

Diaphoretics, — are  raiedicines  that  increase  the  sensible  and 
insensible  perspiration  of  the  animal.  As  it  regards  the  horse, 
they  are  neither  many  nor  powerful.  Antimony  in  its  various 
forms,  and  sulphur,  have  some  effect  in  opening  the  pores  of  the 
skin,  and  exciting  its  vessels  to  action,  and  especially  when  assist- 
ed by  warmth  of  stable  or  clothing,  and  therefore  is  useful  in 
those  diseases  in  which  it  is  desirable  that  some  portion  of  the 
blood  should  be  diverted  from  the  overloaded,  and  inflamed, 
and  vital  organs  of  the  chest,  to  the  skin  or  the  extremities. 
The  only  diaphoretics,  however,  on  which  much  confidence  can 
be  placed,  and  especially  to  produce  condition,  are  warm  clothing 
and  good  grooming. 

Digestives, — are  applications  to  recent  or  old  wounds,  as  mild 
stimulants,  in  order  to  produce  a  healthy  appearance  and  action 
in  them,  and  to  cause  them  more  speedily  to  heal.  A  weak  so- 
lution of  blue  vitriol  is  an  excellent  digestive  ;  so  is  the  tincture 
of  aloes,  and  the  tincture  of  myrrh.  The  best  digestive  oint- 
ment is  one  composed  of  three  parts  of  calamine  ointment  (Tur- 
ner's cerate)  and  one  of  common  turpentine. 

Digitalis — Fox-G-love. — The  leaves  of  the  common  fox-glove, 
gathered  about  the  flowering  time,  dried  carefully  in  a  dark 
place,  and  powdered,  and  kept  in  a  close  black  bottle,  form  one  of 
the  most  valuable  medicines  in  veterinary  practice.  It  is  a  direct 
and  powerful  sedative,  diminishing  the  frequency  of  the  pulse, 
and  the  general  irritability  of  the  system,  and  acting  also  as  a 
mild  diuretic  :  it  is  therefore  useful  in  every  inflammatory  and 
febrile  complaint,  and  particularly  in  inflammation  of  the  chest. 
It  is  usually  given  in  combination  with  emetic  tartar  and  nitre 
The  average  dose  is  one  drachm  of  digitalis,  one  and  a  half  of  emet 
ic  tartar,    and  three  of  nitre,  repeated  twice  or  thrice  in  a  day. 

Digitalis  seems  to  have  an  immediate  effect  on  the  heart,  less- 
ening the  number  of  its  pulsations  ;  but  effecting  this  in  a  singular 
manner — not  by  causing  the  heart  to  beat  more  slowly,  but  produ- 
cing certain  intermissions  or  pauses  in  its  action.  When  these 
become  marked — when  at  every  sixth  or  seventh  beat,  the  pulsa- 
tions are  suspended  while  two  or  three  can  be  slowly  counted,  this 
is  precisely  the  effect  that  is  intended  to  be  produced,  and,  how- 
ever ill  the  horse  may  appear  to  be,  or  however  alaiming  this  m- 


152  MEDIC^I'^ES. 

termittent  pulse  may  seem  to  the  standers-by,  from  that  moment 
the  animal  will  frequently  begin  to  amend.  The  dose  must  then 
oe  diminished  one-half,  and  in  a  few  days  it  may  be  omitted  al- 
together :  but  the  emetic  tartar  and  the  nitre  should  be  continued 
during  some  days  after  the  practitioner  has  deemed  it  prudent  to 
try  the  effect  of  mild  vegetable  tonics. 

There  is  no  danger  in  the  intermittent  pulse  thus  produced  ; 
but  there  is  much  when  the  digitalis  fails  to  produce  any  effect 
on  the  circulation.  The  disease  is  then  too  powerful  to  be 
arrested  by  medicine.  Digitalis  requires  watching  ;  but  the  only 
consequence  to  be  apprehended  from  an  over-dose  is,  that  the  pa- 
tient may  be  reduced  a  little  too  low,  and  his  convalescence  re- 
tarded for  a  day  or  two. 

In  the  form  of  infusion  or  tincture,  digitalis  is  very  useful  in 
inflammation  of  the  eyes.  It  is  almost  equal  in  its  sedative  in- 
fluence to  opium,  and  it  may  with  great  advantage  be  alternated 
with  it,  when  opium  begins  to  lose  its  power.  The  infusion  is 
made  by  pouring  a  quart  of  boiling  water  on  an  ounce  of  the 
powder.  When  it  is  become  cold,  a  portion  of  the  liquid  may  be 
introduced  into  the  eye.  One  or  two  drops  of  the  tincture  may 
be  introduced  with  good  effect.  This  may  be  obtained  by  mace- 
rating three  ounces  of  digitalis  in  a  quart  of  spirit. 

The  infusion  has  been  serviceable  in  mange  ;  but  there  are 
better  applications. 

Diuretics, — constitute  a  useful  but  much  abused  class  of  medi- 
cines. They  stimulate  the  kidneys  to  secrete  more  than  the 
usual  quantity  of  urine,  or  to  separate  a  greater  than  ordinary 
proportion  of  the  watery  parts  of  the  blood.  The  deficiency  of 
water  in  the  blood  thus  occasioned,  must  be  speedily  supplied,  or 
the  healthy  circulation  cannot  be  carried  on  ;  and  it  is  generally 
supphed  by  the  absorbents  taking  up  the  watery  fluid  in  some 
part  of  the  frame,  and  carrying  it  into  the  circulation.  Hence 
the  evident  use  of  diuretics  in  dropsical  affections,  in  swelled  legs, 
and  also  in  inflammation  and  fever,  by  lessening  the  quantity  of 
the  circulating  fluid,  and,  consequently,  that  which  is  sent  to  the 
inflamed  parts. 

All  this  is  effected  by  the  kidneys  being  stimulated  to  increased 
action ;  but  if  this  stimulus  is  too  often  or  too  violently  applied, 
the  energy  of  the  kidney  may  be  impaired,  or  inflamimation  may 
be  produced.  That  inflammation  may  be  of  an  acute  character, 
and  destroy  the  patient ;  or,  although  not  intense  in  its  nature, 
it  may  by  frequent  repetition  assume  a  chronic  form,  and  more 
slowly,  but  as  surely,  do  irreparable  mischief  Hence  the  neces- 
sity of  attention  to  that  portion  of  the  food  which  may  have  a 
diuretic  power.  Mow-burnt  hay  and  foxy  oats  are  the  unsus- 
pected causes  of  many  a  disease  in  the  horse,  at  first  obscure,  but 


MEDICINES.  453 

ultimately  referable  to  injury  or  inflammation  of  the  urinary  or- 
gans. Hence,  too,  the  impropriety  of  sullering  medicines  of  a 
diuretic  nature  to  be  at  the  coimnand  oi"  the  ignorant  carter  or 
groom.  In  swelled  legs,  cracks,  grease,  or  accumulation  of  lluid 
in  any  part,  and  in  those  superficial  eruptions  and  inflammations 
which  are  said  to  be  produced  by  humors  floating  in  the  blood, 
diuretics  are  evidently  beneficial ;  but  they  should  be  as  mild  as 
possible,  and  not  oftener  given  or  continued  longer  than  the 
case  requires.  For  some  cautions  as  to  the  administration  of  diu- 
retics, and  a  list  of  the  safest  and  best,  the  reader  is  referred  to 
page  231.  The  expensive  Castile  soap,  and  camphor,  so  often 
resorted  to,  are  not  needed,  for  the  common  liquid  turpentine  is 
quite  sufficient  in  all  ordinary  cases,  and  nitre  and  digitalis  may 
be  added  if  fever  is  suspected. 

Drinks. — Many  practitioners  and  horse-proprietors  have  a 
great  objection  to  the  administration  of  medicines  in  the  form  of 
drinks.  A  drink  is  not  so  portable  as  a  ball,  it  is  more  trouble- 
some to  give,  and  a  portion  of  it  is  usually  wasted.  If  the  drink 
contains  any  acid  substance,  it  is  apt  to  excoriate  the  mouth,  or 
to  irritate  the  throat,  already  sore  from  disease,  or  the  unpleasant 
taste  of  the  drug,  may  unnecessarily  nauseate  the  horse.  There 
are  some  medicines,  however,  Which  must  be  given  in  the  form 
of  drinlv,  as  in  colic  ;  and  the  time,  perliaps,  in  not  distant  when 
purgatives  will  be  thus  administered,  as  more  speedy,  and  safer  in 
their  operation.  In  cases  of  much  debility  and  entire  loss  of  ap- 
petite, all  medicine  should  be  given  in  solution,  for  the  stomach 
may  not  have  sufficient  power  to  dissolve  the  paper  in  which  tha 
ball  is  wrapped,  or  the  substance  of  the  ball.=^ 

An  ox's  horn,  the  larger  end  being  cut  slantingly,  is  the  usual 
and  best  instrument  for  administering  drinks.  The  noose  of  a 
halter  is  introduced  into  the  mouth,  and  then,*by  means  of  a  sta- 
ble-fork, the  head  is  elevated  by  an  assistant  considerably  higher 
than  for  the  delivery  of  a  ball.  The  surgeon  stands  on  a  pail  or 
stable-basket  on  the  ofT-side  of  the  horse,  and  draws  out  the 
tongue  with  the  left  hand  ;  he  then,  with  the  right  hand ,  intro- 
duces the  horn  gently  into  the  mouth,  and  over  the  tongue,  and 
by  a  dexterous  turn  of  the  horn  empties  the  whole  of  the  drink 
— not  more  than  about  six  ounces — into  the  back  part  of  the 
mouth.  The  horn  is  now  quickly  withdrawn,  and  the  tongue 
loosened,  and  the  greater  portion  of  the  fluid  will  be  swallowed. 
A  portion  of  it,  however,  will  often  be  obstinately  held  in  the 
mouth  for  a  long  time,  and  the  head  must  be  kept  up  until  the 
whole  is  got  rid  of,  which  a  quick,  but  not  violent  slap  on  the 
muzzle  will  generally  compel  the  horse  to  do.     The  art  of  giving 

*  See  note  on  p.  225. 


454  MEDICINES. 

a  drink  consists  in  not  putting  too  much  into  the  horn  at  once  , 
introducing  the  horn  far  enough  into  the  mouth,  and  quickly  turn- 
ing and  withdrawing  it,  without  bruising  or  wounding  the  mouth, 
the  tongue  being  loosened  at  the  same  moment.  A  bottle  is  a 
disgraceful  and  dangerous  instrument  to  use,  except  it  be  a  flat 
pint  bottle,  with  a  long  and  thick  neck. 

Emetic  Tartar. — See  Antimonio  Potassio  Tartras. 

Epsom  Salts. — See  under  Magnesia. 

Ergot  of  Rye. — See  Secale  Cornutum. 

Ethiops  Mineral. — See  under  Hydrargyrum. 

Eye  Lotions  or  Washes. — See  CollyfcIa. 

Fep^rum,  Iron. — Of  this  metal  there  are  two  preparations 
adopted  by  veterinarians.  The  rust,  or  Carbonate,  is  a  mild 
and  useful  tonic,  in  doses  of  from  two  to  four  drachms.  The  Sul- 
phate {green  vitriol  or  cojyjjeras)  is  more  powerful.  It  should 
never  be  given  in  the  early  stages  of  recovery,  and  always  with 
caution.  The  dose  should  be  the  same  as  that  of  the  carbonate. 
The  sulphate  has  lately  been  recommended  for  the  cure  of  that  de- 
ceitful stage  or  form  of  glanders,  in  which  there  is  nothing  to  char- 
acterize the  disease  but  a  very  slight  discharge  from  the  nostrils. 
It  is  to  be  dissolved  in  the  common  drink  of  the  horse.  It  is  worth 
a  trial,  but  too  sanguine  expectations  must  not  be  encouraged  of 
the  power  of  any  drug  over  this  intractable  malady.  The  iron 
should  be  given  in  combination  with  gentian  and  ginger,  but 
never  with  any  alkali  or  nitre  or  soap,  or  catechu,  or  astringent 
vegetable. 

Fever. — For  the  nature  and  treatment  of  the  fever,  both  pure 
and  symptomatic,  reference  may  be  made  to  page  163. 

Forge  Water, — used  to  be  a  favorite  tonic  with  farriers,  and 
also  a  lotion  for  canker  and  ulcers  in  the  mouth.  It  owes  its  power, 
if  there  be  any,  to  the  iron  with  which  it  is  impregnated. 

Flax  Seed. — See  Linseed. 

Fomentations, — open  the  pores  of  the  skin  and  promote  per- 
spiration in  the  part,  and  so  abate  the  local  swelling,  and  relieve 
pain  and  lessen  inflammation.  They  are  often  used,  and  with 
more  benefit  when  the  inflammation  is  somewhat  deeply  seated, 
than  when  it  is  superficial.  The  effect  depends  upon  the  warmth 
of  the  water,  and  not  on  any  herb  that  may  have  been  boiled  in 
it.  They  are  best  applied  by  means  of  flannel,  frequently  dipped 
in  the  hot  water,  or  on  which  the  water  is  poured,  and  the  heat 
should  be  as  great  as  the  hand  will  bear.  The  benefit  that  might 
be  derived  from  them  is  much  impaired  by  the  absurd  method  in 
which  the  fomentations  are  conducted.  They  are  rarely  contin- 
ued long  enough,  and  when  they  are  removed,  the  part  is  left  wet 
and  uncovered,  and  the  coldness  of  evaporation  succeeds  to  the 
heat  of  fomentation.     The  perspiration  is  thus  suddenly  checked  , 


MEDICINES.  453 

the  animal  suffers  considerable  pain,  and  more  harm  is  done  by 
the  extreme  change  of  temperature  than  if  the  fomentation  had 
not  been  attempted. 

Fox-Glove. — See  Digitalis. 

Gentian, — stands  at  the  head  of  the  vegetable  tonics,  and  is  a 
stomachic  as  well  as  a  tonic.  It  is  equally  useful  in  chronic  de- 
bility, and  in  that  w^hich  is  consequent  on  severe  and  protracted  ill- 
ness. It  is  generally  united  with  chamomile,  ginger,  and,  when 
the  patient  will  bear  it,  carbonate  of  iron.  Four  drachms  of  gen- 
tian, two  of  chamomile,  one  of  carbonate  of  iron,  and  one  of  ginger, 
will  make  an  excellent  tonic  ball.  An  infusion  of  gentian  is  one 
of  the  best  applications  to  putrid  ulcers. 

Ginger, — is  as  valuable  as  a  cordial,  as  gentian  is  as  a  tonic. 
It  is  the  basis  of  the  cordial  ball,  and  it  is  indispensable  in  the 
tonic  ball.  Although  it  is  difficult  to  powder,  the  veterinary  prac- 
titioner should  always  purchase  it  in  its  solid  form.  If  the  root  is 
large,  heavy,  and  not  worm-eaten,  the  black  ginger  is  as  good  as 
the  white,  and  considerably  cheaper.  The  powder  is  adulterated 
with  bean-meal  and  the  sawdust  of  boxwood,  and  rendered  warm 
and  pungent  by  means  of  capsicum. 

Goulard's  Extract. — See  under  Lead. 

(xlauber's  Salt. — See  Sod^  Sulphur. 

Hartshorn. — See  Ammonia. 

Healing  Ointment. — See  under  Zinc. 

Hellebore,  luhite, — This  is  a  drastic  cathartic,  and  should  be 
used  with  great  caution.  It  is  a  powerful  nauseant,  and  lowers 
both  the  force  and  frequency  of  the  pulse,  and  is  therefore  given 
with  good  effect  in  various  inflammations,  and  particularly  that 
of  the  lungs.  In  the  hospital  of  the  veterinary  surgeon,  or  in  the 
stable  of  the  gentleman  who  will  superintend  the  giving  and  the 
operation  of  every  medicine,  it  may  be  used  with  safety  ;  but  with 
him  who  has  to  trust  to  others,  and  who  does  not  see  the  horse 
more  than  once  in  twelve  or  twenty-four  hours,  it  is  a  dangerous 
drug.  If  it  is  pushed  a  little  too  far,  trembling  and  giddiness,  and 
purging  follow,  and  the  horse  is  sometimes  lost.  The  hanging  of 
the  head,  and  the  frothing  of  the  mouth,  and,  more  particularly, 
the  sinking  of  the  pulse,  will  give  warning  of  danger ;  but  the 
medical  attendant  may  not  have  the  opportunity  of  observing  this, 
and  when  he  does  observe  it,  it  may  be  too  late.  Its  dose  varies 
from  a  scruple  to  half  a  drachm.  In  doses  of  a  drachm,  it  could  not 
be  given  with  safety ;  and  yet,  such  is  the  different  effect  of  med- 
icines given  in  different  doses,  that  in  the  quantity  of  an  ounce  it 
is  said  to  be  a  diuretic  and  a  tonic,  and  exhibited  with  advantage 
in  chronic  and  obstinate  grease. 

Hellebore,  black, — This  is  used  mostly  as  a  local  application, 
and  as  such  it  is  a  very  powerful  stimulant.     Mr.  E.  Stanley,  of 


456  MEDICINES. 

Banbury,  frequently  resorts  to  it  in  fistulous  affections  of  the  poL' 
and  withers,  and  with  considerable  success.  Tlie  abscess  having 
formed,  and  exit  being  given  to  the  imprisoned  fluid,  it  is  allowed 
to  discharge  itself,  for  two  or  three  days,  being  dressed  with  an 
ordinary  digestive  ointment.  When  the  pus  assumes  a  laudable 
character,  he  introduces  a  few  portions  of  the  fibrous  part  of  the 
root,  passing  them  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  sinus,  and  letting 
them  remain  for  a  fortnight  or  more  ;  in  the  mean  time,  merely 
keeping  the  surrounding  parts  clean.  On  examination,  it  will  be 
found  that  the  healing  process  has  commenced. 

Professor  Morton  adds,  that  an  ointment,  formed  of  the  powder 
of  either  the  black  or  white  Hellebore,  in  the  proportion  of  one 
part  of  the  powder  to  eight  of  lard,  will  be  found  exceedingly  ac- 
tive for  the  dressing  of  rowels  and  setons. 

Hemlock, — is  used  by  some  practitioners,  instead  of  digitalis 
or  hellebore,  in  affections  of  the  chest,  whether  acute  or  chrojiic  ; 
but  it  is  inferior  to  both.  The  dose  of  the  powder  of  the  dried 
leaves  is  about  a  drachm. 

Hog's  Lard. — See  Adeps. 

Hydrargyrum,  Mercury. — This  metal  is  found  native  in 
many  countries  in  the  form  of  minute  globules.  It  also  occurs  in 
masses,  and  in  different  varieties  of  crystallization.  It  has  the 
singular  property  of  being  liquid  in  the  natural  temperature  of 
our  earth.  It  freezes,  or  assumes  a  singular  species  of  crystalliza- 
tion, at  39^  below  0  of  Fah.,  and  at  660'  above  0  of  Fah.  it 
boils,  and  rapidly  evaporates.  In  its  metallic  state  it  appears  to 
have  no  action  on  the  animal  system,  but  its  compounds  are 
mostly  powerful  excitants,  and  some  of  them  are  active  caustics. 

The  Common  Mercurial  Ointment  may  be  used  for  ring- 
worm, and  that  species  of  acarus  which  seems  to  be  the  source,  or 
the  precursor  of,  mange.  The  compound  mercurial  ointment  is 
also  useful  in  the  destruction  of  the  same  insect.  For  most  erup- 
tions connecting  with  or  simulating  mange,  the  author  of  this 
work  has  been  accustomed  to  apply  the  following  ointment  with 
considerable  success  : — 


Sublimed  sulphur  . 
Common  turpentine 
Mercurial  ointment  . 
Linseed  oil 


.  1  pound. 
.  4  oz. 
.  2  oz. 
.  1  pint. 


The  Mercurial  Ointment  is  prepared  by  rubbing  quicksilver 
with  lard,  in  the  proportion  of  one  part  of  mercury  to  three  of  lard, 
until  no  globules  appear.  The  practitioner  should,  if  possible,  pre- 
pare it  himself,  for  he  can  seldom  get  it  pure  or  of  the  proper 
strength  from  the  druggist.  It  is  employed  with  considerable  ad 
vantage  in  preparing  splints,  spavins,  or  other  bony  or  callous  tu 


MEDICINES.  457 

mors,  for  blistering  or  firing.  One  or  two  drachms,  according  to 
the  nature  and  size  of  the  swelling,  may  be  daily  well  rubbed  in  ; 
but  it  should  be  watched,  for  it  sometimes  salivates  the  horse  very 
speedily.  The  tumors  more  readily  disperse,  at  the  application  of 
a  stronger  stimulant,"  when  they  have  been  thus  prepared.  Mer- 
curial ointment  in  a  weaker  state  is  sometimes  necessary  for  th 
cure  of  mallenders  and  sallenders  ;  and  in  very  obstinate  cases  of 
mange,  one-eighth  part  of  mercurial  ointment  may  be  added  to 
the  ointment  recommended  at  page  409. 

Calomel,  the  submuriate  or  protochloride  of  mercury,  may  be 
given,  combined  with  aloes,  in  mange,  surfeit,  or  worms.  It  is 
also  useful  in  some  cases  of  chronic  cough,  in  farcy  and  in  jaun- 
dice. Alone  it  has  little  purgative  effect  on  the  horse,  but  it  as- 
sists the  action  of  other  aperients.  It  is  given  in  doses  from  a 
scruple  to  a  drachm.  As  soon  as  the  gums  become  red,  or  the  ani- 
mal begins  to  quid  or  drop  his  hay,  it  must  be  discontinued.  Cal- 
omel has  lately  gained  much  repute  in  arresting  the  progress  of 
epidemic  catarrh  in  the  horse.  Mr.  Percival  has  succeeded  in 
this  attempt  to  a  very  considerable  extent.  In  fact,  the  influence 
of  calomel  in  veterinary  practice  seems  to  have  been  far  too  much 
undervalued. 

Corwuve  Sublimate,  the  oxymuriate  or  bichloride  of  mercury, 
combined  with  chlorine  in  a  double  proportion,  is  a  useful  tonic 
in  farcy.  It  should  be  given  in  doses  of  ten  grains  daily,  and 
gradually  increased  to  a  scruple,  until  the  horse  is  purged,  or  the 
mouth  becomes  sore,  when  it  may  be  omitted  for  a  few  days,  and 
resumed.  Some  have  recommended  it  as  a  diuretic,  but  it  is  too 
dangerous  a  medicine  for  this  purpose.  It  is  used  externally  in 
solution ;  m  substance  in  quittor,  as  a  stimulant  to  foul  ulcers ; 
and  in  the  proportion  of  five  grains  to  an  oiaice  of  rectified  spirit 

n  obstinate  mange,  or  to  destroy  vermin  on  the  skin.  It  is,  how- 
ever, too  uncertain  and  too  dangerous  a  medicine  for  the  horse- 
proprietor  to  venture  on  its  use. 

jEthiops  Mineral,  the  black  sulphuret  of  mercury,  is  not 
often  used  in  horse-practice,  but  it  is  a  good  alterative  for  obstin- 
ate surfeit  or  foulness  of  the  skin,  in  doses  of  three  drachms  daily. 
Four  drachms  of  cream  of  tartar  may  be  advantageously  added 
to  each  dose. 

Infusions. — The  active  matter  of  some  vegetable  substances  is 
partly  or  entirely  extracted  by  water.  Dried  vegetables  yield 
their  properties  more  readily  and  perfectly  than  when  in  their 
^reen  state.  Boiling  water  is  poured  on  the  substance  to  be  in- 
fused, and  Avhich  should  have  been  previously  pounded  oi  pow- 
dered, and  the  vessel  then  covered  and  placed  near  a  fire.  In 
five  or  six  hours  the  transparent  part  may  be  poured  .off,  and  is 

•^ady  for  use.    In  a  few  days,  however,  all  infusions  become  thick. 


458  MEDICINES. 

and  lose  their  virtue,  from  the  decomposition  of  the  vegetable 
Tiatter. 

The  infusion  of  chamomile  is  advantageously  used  instead  of 
water  in  compounding  a  mild  tonic  drench.  The  infusion  of 
catechu  is  uselul  in  astringent  mixtures  ;  that  of  linseed  is  used 
instead  of  common  water  in  catarrh  and  cold ;  and  the  infusion 
\)f  tobacco  in  some  injections. 

Injections. — See  Clysters. 

Iodine. — This  substance  has  not  been  long  introduced  intr. 
veterinary  practice.  The  first  object  which  it  seemed  to  accom- 
plish, was  the  reduction  of  the  enlarged  glands  that  frequently 
remain  after  catarrh,  but  it  soon  appeared  that  it  could  reduce 
almost  every  species  of  tumor.  Much  concerned  in  the  first  in- 
troduction of  iodine  into  veterinary  practice,  the  writer  of  the 
present  work  bears  willing  testimony  to  the  zeal  and  success 
of  others,  in  establishing  the  claims  of  this  most  valuable  medi- 
cine. Professor  Morton  has  devoted  much  time  and  labor  to  the 
different  combinations  of  iodine,  and  they  are  described  at  length 
in  thq  useful  "  Manual  of  Pharmacy."  He  gives  the  formulae  of 
the  composition  of  a  liniment,  an  ointment,  and  a  tincture  of 
iodine,  adapted  to  different  species  and  stages  of  disease.  He 
next  describes  the  preparation  of  the  iodide  of  potassium — the 
combination  of  iodine  and  potash — and  then  the  improvement  on 
that  under  the  name  of  the  diniodide  of  copper — the  union  of  two 
parts  of  the  iodide  of  potassium  with  four  of  the  sulphate  of 
copper. 

The  action  of  this  compound  is  an  admirable  tonic  and  a  stim- 
alant  to  the  absorbent  system,  if  combined  with  vegetable  tonics, 
and,  occasionally,  small  doses  of  cantharides.  Professor  Spooner 
and  Mr.  Daws  applied  this  compound,  and  with  marked  suci-vss, 
to  the  alleviation  of  farcy,  nasal  gleet,  and  glanders.  It  is  pleatj- 
ing  to  witness  these  triumphs  over  disease,  a  little  while  ago  so 
unexpected,  and  now  so  assured.^ 

Iodine  Ointment. — See  under  Iodine. 

Iron. — See  Ferrum. 

James's  Powder. — See  Pulvis  Antimonii  Compositus. 

Japan  Earth. — See  Catechu. 

Juniper,  Oil  of. — This  essential  oil  is  retained  because  it  has 
some  diruetic  property,  as  well  as  being  a  pleasant  aromatic.  It 
frequently  enters  into  the  composition  ot"  the  diuretic  ball. 

*  Note  by  Mr.  Spooner. — Iodine  is  employed  in  various  foims.  In  that  of 
iodide  of  potassium  it  is  best  administered  internally,  as  a  promoter  of  ab- 
sorption. Combined  with  the  sulphate  of  ropper  it  forms  a  powerful  and 
useful  tonic ;  whilst  in  the  form  of  iodide  of  mercury,  and  combined  with 
lard  or  palm  oil,  it  becomes  a  powerful  blister,  and  a  useful  promoter  of 
absorption 


MEDICINES  469 

Lead,  Pluimeum. — The  Carbonate  of  Lead  had  a  deleterioug 
efiect  on  the  biped  and  the  quadruped  m  the  neijihborhood  of 
lead  works.  They  are  subject  to  violent  griping  pains,  and  to 
constipation  that  can  with  great  difficulty,  or  not  at  all,  be  over- 
come. Something  of  the  same  kind  is  occasionally  observed  in 
the  cider  counties,  and  the  "  painter's  colic"  is  a  circumstance 
of  too  frequent  occurrence — the  occasional  dreadiul  pains,  and  the 
ravenous  appetite  extending  to  everything  that  comes  in  the  way 
of  the  animal.  Active  purgatives  followed  by  opium  are  the 
most  effectual  remedies. 

The  Acetate  of  Lead,  Plumbi  Acetas. — Sugar  of  lead  is  sel- 
dom given  externally  to  the  horse,  but  is  used  as  a  coUyrium  for 
inflammation  of  the  eyes. 

The  Liquor  Plumbi  Subacetatis,  or  Goulard's  Extract,  or, 
as  it  used  to  be  termed  at  the  Veterinary  College,  the  Aqua 
Vegeto,  is  a  better  eye  wash,  and  advantageously  used  in  external 
and  superficial  inflammation,  and  particularly  the  inflammation 
that  remains  after  the  application  of  a  blister. 

Lime, — was  formerly  sprinkled  over  cankered  feet  and  greasy 
heels,  but  there  are  less  painful  caustics,  and  more  eflectual  ab- 
sorbents of  moisture.  Lime-water  is  rarely  used,  but  the  Chloride 
of  Lime  is  exceedingly  valuable.  Diluted  with  twenty  times  its 
quantity  of  water,  it  helps  to  form  the  poultice  applied  to  every 
part  from  which  there  is  the  slightest  offensive  discharge.  The 
foetid  smell  of  fistulous  withers,  poll-evil,  canker,  and  ill-condi- 
tioned wounds,  is  immediately  removed,  and  the  ulcers  are  more 
disposed  to  heal.  When  mangy  horses  are  dismissed  as  cured,  a 
washing  with  the  diluted  chloride  will  remove  any  infection  that 
may  lurk  about  them,  or  which  they  may  carry  from  the  place 
in  which  they  have  been  confined.  One  pint  of  the  chloride 
mixed  with  three  gallons  of  water,  and  brushed  over  the  walls 
and  manger  and  rack  of  the  foulest  stable,  will  completely  re- 
move all  infection.  Professor  Morton,  very  properly,  says  tha 
the  common  practice  of  merely  white-washing  the  walls  server 
only  to  cover  the  infectious  matter,  and  perhaps  to  preserve  it  for 
an  indefinite  length  of  time,  so  that  when  the  lime  scales  off,  dis 
ease  may  be  again  engendered  by  the  exposed  virus.  The  horse 
furniture  worn  by  a  glandered  or  mangy  animal  will  be  efTectu- 
ally  purified  by  the  chloride.  Internally  administered,  it  seems 
to  have  little  or  no  power. 

Liniments, — are  oily  applications  of  the  consistence  of  a  thick 
fluid,  and  designed  either  to  soothe  an  inflamed  surface,  or,  by 
gently  stimulating  the  skin,  to  remove  deeper-seated  pain  or  in- 
flammation. As  an  emollient,  one  composed  of  half  an  ounce  of 
extract  of  lead  and  four  ounces  of  olive  oil  will  be  useful.  ,  For 
sprains,  old  swellings,  or  rheumatism,  two  ounces  of  hartshorn, 


460  MEDICINES. 

the  same  quantity  of  camphorated  spirit,  an  ounce  of  oil  of  tur- 
pentine, and  half  an  ounce  of  laudanum,  may  he  mixed  too:ether ; 
or  an  ounce  of  camphor  may  be  dissolved  in  four  ounces  of  sweet 
oil,  to  which  an  ounce  of  oil  of  turpentine  may  be  afterwards 
added.  A  little  powdered  cantharides,  or  tincture  of  cantharides, 
or  mustard  powder,  will  render  either  of  these  more  powerful,  or 
convert  it  into  a  liquid  blister. 

Linseed. — An  infusion  of  linseed  is  often  used  instead  of  water, 
for  the  drink  of  the  horse  with  sore- throat  or  catarrh,  or  disease 
of  the  urinary  organs  or  of  the  bowels.  A  pail  containing  it 
should  be  slung  in  the  stable  or  loose  box.  Thus  gruel,  however, 
is  preferable  ;  it  is  as  bland  and  soothing,  and  it  is  more  nutri- 
tiovis.  Linseed  meal  forms  the  best  poultice  for  almost  every  pur- 
pose. 

Lunar  Caustic. — See  under  Argentium. 

Magnesia. — The  sulphate  of  magnesia,  or  Epsom  Salts,  should 
be  used  only  in  promoting  the  purgative  effect  of  clysters,  or,  in 
repeated  doses  of  six  or  eight  ounces,  gently  to  open  the  boAvels 
at  the  commencement  of  fever.  Some  doubt,  however,  attends 
the  latter  practice  ;  for  the  dose  must  occasionally  be  thrice  re- 
peated before  it  will  act,  and  then,  although  safer  than  aloes,  it 
may  produce  too  much  irritation  in  the  intestinal  canal,  especially 
if  the  fever  is  the  precursor  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs. 

Mashes, — constitute  a  very  important  part  of  horse-provender, 
whether  in  sickness  or  health.  A  mash  given  occasionally  to  a 
horse  that  is  otherwise  fed  on  dry  meat  prevents  him  from  be- 
coming dangerously  costive.  To  the  over-w^orked  and  tired  horse, 
nothing  is  so  refreshing  as  a  warm  mash  with  his  usual  allow- 
ance of  corn  in  it.  The  art  of  getting  a  liorse  into  apparent  con- 
dition for  sale,  or  giving  him  a  round  and  plump  appearance,  con- 
sists principally  in  the  frequent  repetition  of  mashes,  and,  from 
their  easiness  of  digestion  and  the  mild  nutriment  which  they 
afibrd,  as  well  as  their  laxative  effect,  they  form  the  principal 
diet  of  the  sick  horse. 

They  are  made  by  pouring  boiling  water  or  bran,  and  stirring 
it  well,  and  then  covering  it  over  until  it  is  sufficiently  cool  for 
the  horse  to  eat.  If  in  the  heat  of  summer  a  cold  mash  is  pre- 
ferred, it  should,  nevertheless,  be  made  with  hot  water,  and 
then  suffered  to  remain  until  it  is  cold.  This  is  not  always  suf 
ficiently  attended  to  by  the  groom,  who  is  not  aware  that  the 
efficacy  of  the  mash  depends  principally  on  the  change  which  is 
effected  hi  the  bran  and  the  other  ingredients  by  boiling  water 
rendering  them  more  easy  of  digestion,  as  well  as  more  aperient. 
If  the  horse  refuses  the  mash,  a  few  oats  may  be  sprinkl'-d  over 
••t,  in  order  to  tempt  him  to  eat  it ;  but  if  it  is  previously  designed 
that  corn  should  be  ffiven  in  the  mash,  it  should  be  scalded  Avitb 


MEDICINES.  461 

the  bran,  in  order  to  soften  it  and  render  it  more  difrestilde.  Bran 
nnashes  are  very  usoi'ul  preparatives  for  physic,  and  they  are 
necessary  during  the  operation  of  the  physic.  They  very  soon 
become  sour,  and  the  manger  of  the  horse,  of  w^hose  diet  they 
tbrm  a  principal  part,  should  be  daily  and  carefully  cleaned  out. 

When  horses  are  weakly  and  much  reduced,  malt  mashes  will 
often  be  very  palatable  to  them  and  very  nutritive  :  but  the  water 
that  is  poured  on  a  malt  mash  should  be  considerably  below  the 
boiling  heat,  otherwise  the  malt  will  be  set,  or  clogged  together. 
If  the  owner  was  aware  of  the  value  of  a  malt  mash,  it  would 
be  oltener  given  when  the  horse  is  rapidly  getting  weaker  from 
protracted  disease,  or  when  he  is  beginning  to  recover  from  a  dis- 
ease by  which  he  has  been  much  reduced.  The  only  exception 
to  their  use  is  in  cases  of  chest  affection,  in  which  they  must  not 
be  given  too  early.  In  grease,  and  in  mange  accompanied  by 
much  emaciation,  malt  mashes  will  be  peculiarly  useful,  especially 
if  they  constitute  a  principal  portion  of  the  food. 

Mercury, — see  Hydrargyrum. 

Mercurial  Ointment, — see  under  Hydrargyrum. 

Muriatic  Acid, — see  Acidum  MuRfATicuM. 

Mustard,  Sinaris. — This  will  be  found  occasionally  useful,  if, 
in  inflammation  of  the  chest  or  bowels,  it  is  well  rubbed  on  the 
chest  or  the  abdomen.  The  external  swelling  and  irritation  which 
it  excites  may,  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  abate  the  inflammation 
within. 

Myr-RH, — may  be  used  in  the  form  of  tincture,  or  it  may  be 
united  to  the  tincture  of  aloes  as  a  stimulating  and  digestive  ap- 
plication to  w^ounds  Diluted  with  an  equal  quantity  of  water, 
it  ic  a  good  application  for  canker  in  the  mouth,  but  as  an  inter- 
nal medicine  it  seems  to  be  inert,  although  some  practitioners  ad- 
vocate its  use,  combined  with  opium,  in  cases  of  chronic  cough. 

Nitre, — see  under  Potash. 

Nitrous  ^ther.  Spirit  of, — is  a  A'-ery  useful  medicine  in  the 
advanced  stages  of  fever,  for  while  it,  to  a  certain  degree,  rouses 
the  exhausted  powers  of  the  animal,  and  may  be  denominated  a 
stimulant,  it  never  brings  back  the  dangerous  febrile  action  which 
was  subsiding.     It  is  given  in  doses  of  three  or  four  drachms. 

Olive  Oil, — is  an  emollient  and  demulcent.  Its  laxative  effect 
is  very  inconsiderable  and  uncertain  in  the  horse. 

Opium. — However  underrated  by  some,  there  is  not  a  more 
valuable  drug  on  our  list.  It  does  not  often  act  as  a  narcotic,  ex- 
ci  pt  in  considerable  doses  ;  but  it  is  a  powerful  antispasmodic, 
sedative,  and  astringent.  As  an  antispasmodic,  it  enters  into  the 
cholic  drink,  and  it  is  the  sheet-anchor  of  the  veterinarian  in  the 
treatment  of  tetanus  or  locked-jaw.  As  a  sedative  it  relaxes  that 
umversal  spasm  of  the  muscular  system  which  is  the  character- 


462  MEDICINES. 

lsti«  of  tetanus ;  and,  perhaps,  it  is  only  as  a  sedative  that  it  has 
such  admirable  effect  as  an  astringent,  for  when  the  irritation 
around  the  mouths  of  the  vessels  of  the  intestines  and  kidneys  is 
allayed  by  the  opium,  the  undue  purging  and  profuse  staling  wil' 
necessarily  be  arrested. 

Opium  should,  however,  be  given  with  caution.  It  is  its  sec- 
ndary  effect  that  is  sedative,  and,  if  given  in  cases  of  fever,  its 
primary  effect  in  increasing  the  excitation  of  the  frame  may  be 
very  considerable  and  highly  injurious.  In  the  early  and  acute 
stage  of  fever,  it  would  be  bad  practice  to  give  it  in  the  smallest 
quantity ;  but  when  the  fever  has  passed,  or  is  passing,  there  is 
nothing  which  so  rapidly  subdues  the  irritability  that  accompanies 
extreme  weakness.  It  becomes  an  excellent  tonic,  because  it  is 
a  sedative. 

If  the  blue  or  green  vitriol,  or  cantharides,  have  been  pushed 
too  far,  opium,  sooner  than  any  other  drug,  quiets  the  disorder 
they  have  occasioned.  It  is  given  in  doses  of  one  or  two  drachms, 
in  the  form  of  ball.  Other  medicines  are  usually  combined  with 
it,  according  to  the  circumstances  of  the  case. 

Externally,  it  is  useful  in  ophthalmia.  In  the  form  of  decoc- 
tion of  the  poppy-head,  it  may  constitute  the  basis  of  an' anodyne 
poultice  ;  but  it  must  not  be  given  in  union  with  any  alkali,  with 
the  exception  of  chalk,  in  over-purging  ;  nor  with  the  superace- 
tate  of  lead,  by  which  its  powers  are  materially  impaired  ;  nor 
with  sulphate  of  zinc,  or  copper,  or  iron. 

From  its  high  price  it  is  much  adulterated,  and  it  is  not  always 
met  with  in  a  state  of  purity.  The  best  tests  are  its  smell,  its 
taste,  its  toughness  and  pliancy,  its  fawn  or  brown  color,  and  its 
weight,  for  it  is  the  heaviest  of  all  the  vegetable  extracts  except 
gum  arable  ;  yet  its  weight  is  often  fraudulently  increased  by 
stones  and  bits  of  lead  dexterously  concealed  in  it.  The  English 
opium  is  almost  as  good  as  the  Turkish,  and  frequently  sold  for  it ; 
but  is  distinguishable  by  its  blackness  and  softness. 

Palm  Oil, — when  genuine,  is  the  very  best  substance  that  can 
be  used  for  making  masses  and  balls.  It  has  a  pleasant  smell, 
and  it  never  becomes  rancid. 

Pepper, — see  Capsici  Bacc^. 

Pitch, — is  used  to  give  adhesiveness  and  firmness  to  charges 
ind  piasters.  The  common  pitch  is  quite  as  good  as  the  more 
^expensive  Burgundy  pitch.  The  best  plaster  for  sand-crack  con- 
sists of  one  pound  oi"  pitch  and  an  ounce  of  yellow  beeswax  melted 
together. 

Phvsic. — The  cases  which  require  physic,  the  composition  of 
ihe  most  effectual  and  safest  physic-ball,  and  the  mode  of  treat- 
ment under  physic,  have  been  already  described. 

Potash. — Two  compounds  of  potash  are  used  in  veterinary 


MEDICINES.  463 

practice  The  Nitrate  of  Potash  (Nitre)  is  a  valualle  cooling 
medicine  and  a  mild  diuretic,  and,  therefore,  it  should  enter  into 
the  composition  of  every  fever-ball.  Its  dose  is  from  two  to  four 
drachms.  Grooms  often  dissolve  it  in  the  water.  There  are  two 
objections  to  this  :  either  the  horse  is  nauseated  and  will  not  drink 
so  much  water  as  he  ought ;  or  the  salt  taste  of  the  water  causes 
considerable  thirst,  and  disinclination  to  solid  food.  Nitre,  whilst 
dissolving,  materially  lowers  the  temperature  of  water,  and  fur- 
nishes a  very  cold  and  useful  lotion  for  sprain  of  the  back-sinews, 
and  other  local  inflammations.  The  lotion  should  be  used  as  soon 
as  the  salt  is  dissolved,  for  it  quickly  becomes  as  warm  as  the 
surrounding  air.  The  Bitartrate  of  Potash  {Cream,  of  Tartar) 
is  a  mild  diuretic,  and,  combined  with  ^Ethiop's  mineral,  is  used 
as  an  alterative  in  obstinate  mange  or  grease.  The  objection, 
however,  to  its  use  in  such  an  animal  as  the  horse,  is  the  little 
power  which  it  seems  to  exercise. 

Poultices. — Few  horsemen  are  aware  of  the  value  of  these 
simple  applications  in  abating  inflammation,  relieviiig  pain,  cleans- 
ing wounds,  and  disposing  them  to  heal.  They  are  .applications 
of  the  best  kind  continued  much  longer  than  a  simple  fomentation 
can  be.  In  all  inflammations  of  the  foot  they  are  very  beneficial, 
by  softening  the  horn  hardened  by  the  heat  of  the  foot  and  con- 
tracted and  pressing  on  the  internal  and  highly  sensible  parts. 
The  moisture  and  warmth  are  the  useful  qiialities  of  the  poultice  ; 
and  that  poultice  is  the  best  for  general  purposes  in  which  moisture 
and  warmth  are  longest  retained.  Perspiration  is  most  abundantly 
promoted  in  the  part,  the  pores  are  opened,  swellings  are  relieved 
and  discharges  of  a  healthy  nature  procured  from  wounds. 

Linseed  meal  forms  the  best  general  poultice,  because  it  longest 
retains  the  moisture.  Bran,  although  frequently  used  for  poultices, 
is  objectionable,  because  it  so  soon  becomes  dry  To  abate  con- 
siderable inflammation,  and  especially  in  a  wounded  part,  (ioulard 
may  be  added,  or  the  linseed  meal  may  be  made  into  a  paste  with 
a  decoction  of  poppy-heads.  To  promote  a  healthy  discharge 
from  an  old  or  foul  ulcer  ;  or  separation  of  the  dead  from  the  liv- 
ing parts,  in  the  process  of  what  is  called  coring  out ;  or  to  hasten 
the  ripening  of  a  tumor  that  must  be  opened  ;  or  to  cleanse  it 
when  it  is  opened, — two  ounces  of  common  turpentine  may  be 
added  to  a  pound  of  linseed  meal :  but  nothing  can  be  so  absurd, 
or  is  so  injurious,  as  the  addition  of  turpentine  to  a  poultice  that 
is  designed  to  be  an  emollient.  The  drawing  poultices  and  stop- 
pings of  farriers  are  often  highly  injurious,  instead  of  abating 
inflammation. 

If  the  ulcer  smells  oflensively,  two  ounces  of  powdered  chai- 
coal  may  be  added  to  the  linseed  meal,  or  the  poultice  may  be 
made  of  water,  to  which  a  solution  of  the  chloride  of  lime  ha> 


464  MEDICINES. 

been  added  in  the  proportion  of  half  an  ounce  to  a  pound.  As 
an  emollient  poultice  for  grease  and  cracked  heels,  and  especially 
if  accompanied  by  much  unpleasant  smell,  there  is  nothing  prefer- 
able to  a  poultice  of  mashed  carrots  with  charcoal.  For  old 
grease  some  slight  stimulant  must  be  added,  as  a  little  yeast  or 
the  grounds  of  table  beer. 

There  are  two  errors,  in  the  application  of  a  poultice,  and  par- 
ticularly as  it  regards  the  legs.  It  is  often  put  on  too  tight,  by 
means  of  which  the  return  of  the  blood  from  the  foot  is  prevent- 
ed, and  the  disease  is  increased  instead  of  lessened  ;  or  it  is  too  hot, 
and  unnecessary  pain  is  given,  and  the  inflammation  aggravated. 

Powders.— Some  horses  are  very  difficult  to  ball  or  drench, 
and  the  violent  struggle  that  would  accompany  the  attempt  to 
conquer  them  may  heighten  the  fever  or  inflammation.  To  such 
horses  powders  must  be  given  in  mashes.  Emetic  tartar  and 
digitalis  may  be  generally  used  in  cases  of  inflammation  or  fever ; 
or  emetic  tartar  for  worms  ;  or  calomel  or  even  the  farina  of  the 
croton-nut  for  physic  :  but  powders  are  too  often  an  excuse  for  the 
laziness  or  awkwardness  of  the  carter  or  groom.  The  horse  fre- 
quently refuses  them,  especially  if  his  appetite  has  otherwise  be- 
gun to  fail ;  the  powder  and  the  mash  are  wasted,  and  the 
animal  is  unnecessarily  nauseated.  All  medicine  should  be  given 
in  the  form  of  a  ball  or  drink. 

Prussic  Acid. — See  Acidum  Hydrocianicum. 

GluiNiNE. — See  under  Bark,  Peruvian. 

Raking. — This  consists  in  introducing  the  hand  into  the  rec- 
tum of  the  horse,  and  drawing  out  any  hardened  dung  that  may 
be  there.  It  may  be  necessary  in  costiveness  or  fever,  if  a 
clyster  pipe  cannot  *be  obtained  ;  but  an  injection  will  better 
efiect  the  purpose,  and  with  less  inconvenience  to  the  animal. 
The  introduction  of  the  hand  into  the  rectum  is,  however,  useful 
to  ascertain  the  existence  of  stone  in  the  bladder,  or  the  degree 
of  distension  of  the  bladder  in  suppression  of  the  urine,  for  the 
bladder  will  be  easily  felt  below  the  intestine,  and,  at  the  same 
time  by  the  heat  of  the  intestine,  the  degree  of  inflammation  in  it 
or  in  the  bladder  may  be  detected. 

Hesin. — The  yellow  resin  is  that  which  rerriains  after  the 
distillation  of  oil  of  turpentine.  It  is  used  externally  to  give 
consistence  to  ointments,  and  to  render  them  slightly  stimulant. 
Internally  it  is  a  useful  diuretic,  and  is  given  in  doses  of  tive  or 
six  drachms  made  into  a  ball  with  soft  soan.  The  common 
liquid  turpentine  is,  however,  preferable. 

HowELS. — The  manner  of  rowelling  has  been  already  de- 
scribed. As  exciting  inflammation  on  the  suriaoe,  and  so  les- 
sening that  which  had  previously  existed  in  a  neighboring  but 
deeper-seated  part.,  they  are  decidedly  inferior  to  blisters,  for  they 


MEDICINES.  4t)() 

ao  not  act  so  quickly  or  so  extensively ;  therefore  they  should 
not  be  used  in  acute  inflammation  of  the  lungs  or  bowels,  or  any 
vital  part.  When  the  inflammation,  however,  although  not  in- 
tense, has  long  coutinued,  rowels  will  be  serviceable  by  produ- 
cing an  irritation  and  discharge  that  can  be  better  kept  up  than 
by  a  blister.  As  promoting  a  permanent,  although  not  very  con- 
siderable discharge,  and  some  inflammation,  rowels  in  the  thighs 
are  useful  in  swelled  legs  and  obstinate  grease.  If  fluid  is  thrown 
out  under  the  skin  in  any  other  part,  the  rowel  acts  as  a  per- 
manent drain.  "When  the  sprain  of  the  joint  or  the  muscles 
oi  the  shoulders  is  suspected,  a  rowel  in  the  chest  will  be  ser- 
viceable. The  wound  caused  by  a  rowel  will  readily  heal,  and 
With  little  blemish,  unless  the  useless  leather  of  the  farrier  has 
i»een  inserted. 

Sal  Ammoniac, — See  Chloride  of  Ammonia. 

Salt,  common,  see  Sodh  Chloridum. 

Secale  cornutum.  Ergot  of  Kye. — This  is  well  known  to  be 
an  excitant  in  assisting  parturition  in  cattle,  sheep,  and  dogs.  It  has 
been  used  with  success  in  the  mare  by  Mr.  Richardson,  of  Lin- 
cuin.  It  should  only  be  applied  in  difficult  cases,  and  the  dose 
siiould  be  two  drachms,  combined  with  some  carminative,  and 
gj  ven  every  hour. 

Sedatives, — are  medicines  that  subdue  irritation,  repress  spas 
modic  action,  or  deaden  pain.  We  will  not  inquire  whether  they 
ace  first  as  stimulants  :  if  they  do,  their  effect  is  exceedingly  tran- 
sient, and  is  quickly  followed  by  depression  and  diminished  action. 
Digitalis,  hellebore,  opium,  turpentine,  are  medicines  of  this 
kind.  Their  effect  in  different  diseases  or  stages  of  disease,  and 
the  circumstances  which  indicate  the  use  of  any  one  of  them  in 
preference  to  the  rest,  are  considered  under  their  respective  titles.* 

Soda. — The  Carbonate  of  Soda  is  a  useful  antacid,  and  prob- 
ably a  diuretic,  but  it  is  not  much  used  in  veterinary  practice. 
The  Chloride  of  Soda  is  not  so  efficacious  for  the  removal  of  un- 
pleasant smells  and  all  infection  as  the  chloride  of  lime  ;  but  it  is 
exceedingly  useful  in  changing  malignant  and  corroding  and  de- 
structive sores  into  the  state  of  simple  ulcers,  and,  in  ulcers  that 
are  not  malignant,  it  much  hastens  the  cure.  Poll-evil  and  fis- 
tulous withers  are  much  benefited  by  it,  and  all  farcy  ulcers.  It 
is  used  in  the  proportion  of  one  part  of  the  solution  to  twenty-four 
of  water. 

SoDii  Chloridum,  Common  Salt, — is  very  extensively  em- 
ployed in  veterinary  practice.      It  forms  an  efficacious  aperient 

*  Note  hy  Mr.  Spooner. — Sedatives. — To  the  list  enumera^€:d  in  the  text' 
may  be  added  the  extract  of  belladonna,  or  the  deadly  nightshade,  which  is 
Ejiven  in  doses  of  two  drachms. 

3Q 


466  MEDICINES. 

clyster,  and  a  solution  of  it  has  been  given  as  an  aperient  drink. 
Sprinkled  over  the  hay,  or  in  a  mash,  it  is  very  palatable  to  sick 
horses  ;  and  in  that  languor  und  disinclination  to  food  which  re- 
main after  severe  illness,  few  things  will  so  soon  recall  the  appe- 
tite as  a  drink  composed  of  six  or  eight  ounces  of  salt  in  solution. 
To  horses  in  health  it  is  more  useful  than  is  generally  imagmed, 
as  promoting  the  digestion  of  the  food,  and,  consequently,  condi 
tion.  Externally  applied,  there  are  few  better  lotions  for  in 
flamed  eyes  than  a  solution  of  half  a  drachm  of  salt  in  four  ounces 
of  water.  In  the  proportion  of  an  ounce  of  salt  to  the  same  quan- 
tity of  water,  it  is  a  good  embrocation  for  sore  shoulders  and 
backs  ;  and  if  it  does  not  always  disperse  warbles  and  tumors,  it 
takes  away  much  of  the  tenderness  of  the  skin. 

SoD.E  Sulphas, — Sidjihate  of  Soda. — Glauber's  Salt. — This 
medicine  is  seldom  used  in  the  treatment  of  the  horse.  It  ap- 
pears to  have  some  diuretic  property. 

Soap, — is  supposed  to  possess  a  diuretic  quality,  and  therefore 
enters  into  the  composition  of  some  diuretic  masses.  See  Resin. 
By  many  practitioners  it  is  made  an  ingredient  in  the  physic-ball, 
but  uselessly  or  injuriously  so  ;  for  if  the  shoes  are  finely  powdered 
and  mixed  with  palm  oil,  they  will  dissolve  readily  enough  in  the 
bowels  without  the  aid  of  the  soap,  while  the  action  of  the  soap 
on  the  kidneys  will  impair  the  purgative  efiect  of  the  aloes. 

Spanish  Fly, — See  Cantharides. 

Starch, — may  be  substituted  with  advantage  for  gruel  in  ob- 
stinate cases  of  purging,  both  as  a  clyster,  and  to  support  the 
strength  of  the  animal. 

Stoppings, — constitute  an  important,  but  too  often  neglected 
part  of  stable  management.  If  a  horse  is  irregularly  or  seldom 
worked,  his  feet  are  deprived  of  moisture  ;  they  become  hard  and 
unyielding  and  brittle,  and  disposed  to  corn  and  contraction  and 
founder.  The  very  dung  of  a  neglected  and  filthy  stable  would  be 
preferable  to  habitual  standing  on  the  cleanest  litter  without  stop- 
ping. In  wounds,  and  bruises,  and  corns,  moisture  is  even  more  ne- 
cessary, in  order  to  supple  the  horn,  and  relieve  its  pressure  on  the 
tender  parts  beneath.  As  a  common  stopping,  nothing  is  better 
than  cow-dung  with  a  fourth  part  of  clay  well  beaten  into  it,  and 
confined  with  splents  from  the  binding  or  larger  twigs  of  the 
broom.  In  cases  of  wounds,  a  little  tar  may  be  added  ;  but  tar, 
as  a  common  stopping,  is  too  stimulating  and  drying.  Pads  made 
of  thick  felt  have  lately  been  contrived,  which  are  fitted  to  the 
sole,  and,  swelling  on  being  wetted,  are  sufhciently  confined  by 
the  shoe.  Having  been  well  saturated  with  water,  they  will 
continue  moist  during  the  night.  They  are  very  useful  in  gen- 
tlemen's stables  ;  but  the  cow-dung  and  clay  are  sufficient  for  the 
farmer. 


MEDICINES  467 

Strychnia. — This  drug  has  frequently  heen  employed  with 
decided  advantage  in  cases  of  paralysis  in  the  d  )g  ;  and  lately, 
and  with  decided  advantage,  it  has  been  administered  to  the 
horse.  The  dose  is  from  one  to  three  grains,  given  twice  in  the 
day. 

Sugar  op  Lead, — see  under  Lead. 

Sulphur, — is  the  basis  of  the  most  effectual  applications  for 
mange.  It  is  an  excellent  alterative,  combined  usually  with  an- 
timony and  nitre,  and  particularly  for  mange,  surfeit,  grease,  hide- 
bound, or  want  of  condition  ;  and  it  is  a  useful  ingredient  in  the 
cough  and  fever  ball.  When  given  alone,  it  seems  to  have  little 
effect,  except  as  a  laxative  in  doses  of  six  or  eight  ounces  ;  but 
there  are  much  better  aperients.  The  black  sulphur  consists  prin- 
cipally of  the  dross  after  the  pure  sulphur  has  been  separated. 

Tar, — melted  with  an  equal  quantity  of  grease  forms  the  usu 
al  stopping  of  the  farrier.  It  is  a  warm,  or  slightly  stimulant, 
and  therefore  useful,  dressing  for  bruised  or  wounded  feet ;  but  its 
principal  virtue  seems  to  consist  in  preventing  the  penetration  of 
dirt  and  water  to  the  wounded  part.  As  a  common  stopping  it 
has  been  considered  objectionable.  From  its  warm  and  drying 
properties  it  is  the  usual  and  proper  basis  for  thrush  ointments ; 
and  from  its  adhesiveness,  and  shghtly  stimulating  power,  it  qften 
forms  an  ingredient  in  application  for  mange.  Some  practition- 
ers give  it,  and  advantageously,  with  the  usual  cough  medicine, 
and  in  doses  of  two  or  three  drachms  for  chronic  cough.  The 
common  tar  is  as  effectual  as  the  Barbadoes  for  every  veterinary 
purpose.  The  oil,  or  spirit  (rectified  oil)  of  tar  is  sometimes  used 
alone  for  the  cure  of  mange,  but  it  is  not  to  be  depended  upon. 
The  spirit  of  tar,  mixed  with  double  the  quantity  of  fish-oil,  is, 
from  its  peculiar  penetrating  property,  one  of  the  best  applica- 
tions for  hard  and  brittle  feet.  It  should  be  well  rubbed  with  a 
brush,  every  night,  both  on  the  crust  and  sole. 

Tinctures. — The  medicinal  properties  of  many  substances  are 
extracted  by  spirit  of  win^,  but  in  such  small  quantities  as  to  be 
scarcely  available  for  internal  use  in  veterinary  practice.  So 
much  aloes  or  opium  must  be  given  in  order  to  produce  effect  on 
the  horse,  that  the  quantity  of  spirit  necessary  to  dissolve  it  would 
be  injurious  or  might  be  fatal.  As  applications  to  wounds  or  in- 
flamed surfaces,  the  tinctures  of  aloes,  digitalis,  myrrh,  and  opium, 
are  highly  useful. 

Tobacco, — in  the  hands  of  the  skilful  veterinarian,  may  be  ad- 
vantageously employed  in  cases  of  extreme  costiveness,  or  danger- 
ous cholic  ;  but  should  never  be  permitted  to  be  used  as  an  ex- 
ternal application  for  the  cure  of  mange,  or  an  internal  medicine 
to  promote  a  fine  coat. 

Tonics  —are  valuable  medicines  when  iudiciously  employed  ; 


468  MEDICINES. 

but,  like  cordials,  they  have  been  fatally  abused.  Many  a  horst 
recovering  from  severe  disease  has  been  destroyed  by  their  too 
early,  or  too  free  use.  The  veterinary  surgeon  occasionally  ad- 
ministers them  injuriously,  in  his  anxiety  to  gratify  the  impa- 
tience of  his  employer.  The  mild  vegetable  tonics,  chamomile, 
gentian,  and  ginger,  and,  perhaps,  the  carbonate  of  iron,  may 
sometimes  be  given  with  benefit,  and  m,ay  hasten  the  perfect  reco- 
very of  the  patient ;  but  there  are  few  principles  more  truly  found- 
ed on  reason  and  experience,  than,  that  disease  once  removed, 
the  powers  of  nature  are  sufficient  to  re-establish  health.  Against 
the  more  powerful  mineral  tonics,  except  for  the  particular  pur- 
poses that  have  been  pointed  out  under  the  proper  heads,  the  horse 
proprietor  and  the  veterinarian  should  be  on  his  guard. 

Turner's  Oerate, — see  under  Digestives,  and  also  under 
Zinc. 

Turpentine. — The  common  liquid  turpentine  has  been  de- 
scribed as  one  of  the  best  diuretics,  in  doses  of  half  an  ounce,  and 
made  into  a  ball  with  linseed  meal  and  powdered  ginger.  It  is 
added  to  the  calamine  or  any  other  mild  ointment  in  order  to  ren- 
der it  stimulating  and  digestive,  and,  from  its  adhesiveness  and 
slight  stimulating  power  it  is  an  ingredient  in  mange  ointments. 
The  oil  of  turpentine  is  an  excellent  antispasmodic.  For  the  re- 
moval of  colic  it  stands  unrivalled.  Forming  a  tincture  with 
cantharides,  it  is  the  basis  of  the  sweating  blister  for  old  strains 
and  swellings.  As  a  blister  it  is  far  inferior  to  the  common  oint- 
ment. As  a  stimulant  frequently  applied  it  must  be  sufficiently 
lowered,  or  it  may  blemish. — See  Resin. 

Verdigris, — see  under  Copper. 

Vinegar, — see  Acidum  Aceticum. 

Vitriol, — blue, — see  under  Copper, 

Vitriol,— g?-ee7Z, — see  under  Ferrum. 

Vitriol, — ivhite, — see  under  Zinc. 

Vitriol, — Oil  of, — see  Acidum  Sulphuricum. 

Wax, — The  yellow  wax  is  used  in  charges  and  some  plasters 
;o  render  them  less  brittle. 

Zinc. — The  impure  carbonate  of  zinc,  under  the  name  of 
Calamine  Powder,  is  used  in  the  preparation  of  a  valuable  heal- 
ing ointment,  called  Turner's  Cerate.  Five  parts  of  lard  and  ont 
of  resin  are  melted  together,  and  when  these  begin  to  get  cool 
two  parts  of  the  calamine,  reduced  to  an  impalpable  powder,  ar<3 
stirred  in.  If  the  wound  is  not  healthy,  a  small  quantity  of  com 
mon  turpentine  may  be  added.  This  salve  justly  deserves  thd 
..■•ine  which  it  has  gained,  "  The  Healing  Ointment."  The  ca- 
i amine  is  sometimes  sprinkled  with  advantage  on  cracked  heela 
and  superficial  sores. 

The  sulphate  of  zinc.  White  Vitriol,  in  the  proportion  of  three 


MEDICIWES  469 

grains  to  an  ounce  of  water,  is  an  excellent  application  in  opthal- 
mia,  when  the  inflammatory  stage  is  passing  over  ;  and  quitter  is 
most  successfully  treated  by  a  saturated  solution  of  white  vitriol 
being  injected  into  the  sinuses,  A  solution  of  white  vitriol  of  less 
strength  forms  a  wash  for  grease  that  is  occasionally  useful,  when 
ihe  alum  or  blue  vitriol  does  not    appear  to  succeed. 

ZiNGiBERis  Radix. — Ginger  Root. — This  is  an  admirable  sti- 
mulant and  carminative.  It  is  useful  in  loss  of  appetite  and  fla- 
tulent colic,  while  it  rouses  the  intestinal  canal  to  its  propei 
action.  The  cordial  mass  resorted  to  by  the  best  surgeons  con- 
sists of  equal  parts  of  ginger  and  gentian  beaten  into  a  mass 
with  treacle. 


INDEX. 


Acetabulum,  descriptiou  of  the,  272. 

A.ciui,  description  of,  213. 

Acetic  acid,  its  properties,  436. 

Adeps,  properties  of,  437. 

^thiop's  mineral,  an  alterative,  411. 

Age,  natural,  of  the  horse,  130 ;  of  the 
horse  as  indicated  by  the  teeth,  122 ; 
other  indications  of,  129. 

Air,  a  supply  of  pure,  necessary  for  the 
health  of  the  horse,  385. 

Alcohol,  its  medicinal  properties,  437. 

Aloes,  Barbadoes,  far  preferable  to 
Cape,  437  ;  description  of  the  differ- 
ent kinds  of,  438  ;  principal  adultera- 
tions of,  439  ;  tincture  of,  its  composi- 
tion and  use,  ib. 

Alteratives,  the  best,  439  ;  nature  and 
effect  of  440. 

Alum,  the  use  of  in  restraining  purging, 
440 ;    solution   of,    a   good   w^ash    for 

grease,  ib ;  burnt,  a  stimulant  and  caus- 
tic for  wounds,  ib. 

Ammonia,  given  in  flatulent  colic,  440  : 
vapor  of  plentifully  extricated  from 
dung  and  urine,  most  injurious  to  the 
eyes  and  lungs,  ib. 

Anchylosis  of  bones,  what,  149. 

Animals,  zoological  divisions  of,  44. 

Anise-seed,  its  properties,  441. 

Anodyne,  opium  the  only  one  to  be  de- 
pended on,  441. 

Antea-spinatus  muscle,  description  of 
the,  251. 

Antimonial  powder,  a  good  febrifuge, 
441. 

Antimony,  black  sulphuret  of,  method  of 
detecting  its  adulterations,  441 ;  used 
as  an  alterative,  ib.  ;  tartarized,  used 
as  a  nauseant,  diaphoretic  and  worm 
medicine,  ib. 

Antispasmodics,  nature  of,  442. 

Apoplexy,  nature  and  treatment  of  70. 

Aqueous  fluid,  an,  why  placed  in  the 
labyrinth  of  the  ear,  58  ;  humor  of  the 
eye,  description  of  the,  64. 

Arabian  Horses,  different  varieties  of 
2.5,  26  ;  character  of,  26,  27  ;  fondness 
of  the  Arabs  for,  27  ;  prices  of  28  ; 
unequal  to  the  English  race-horse,  29. 

Arabian,  25 ;  Darley,  19 ;  Godolphin, 
21. 


Arcned  form  of  the  skull,  advantage  o£ 
55. 

Arm,  description  of  the,  252 ;  action  of 
explained  on  the  principle  of  the  lev- 
er, 249,  252  ;  extensor  muscles  of  the, 
252,  253  ;  Hexor  muscles  of  the,  253  , 
full  and  swelling,  advantage  of,  ib. ; 
should  be  muscular  and  long,  252 ; 
fracture  of  the,  338. 

Arsenic,  medical  use  of,  442. 

Arteries,  description  of  the,  140;  of  the 
arm,  252 :  of  the  face,  101 ;  neck,  140 
shoulder,  246. 

Ascaris,  account  of  the,  227. 

Astragalus,  account  of  the,  278. 

Atlas,  anatomy  of  the,  136. 

Au.scu!tation,  the  importance  of,  171. 

Back,  general  description  of  the,  149; 
proper  form  of  the,  ib. ;  long  and  short, 
comparative  advantages  of,  ib. ;  anat- 
omy of  the,  ib.  ;  mu.scies  of  the,  151. 

Backing,  of  the  colt,  371  ;  a  bad  habit  of 
the  horse,  usual  origin  of  it,  ib. 

Back-sinews,  sprain  of  the,  258  ;  thicken- 
ing of  the.  constituting  unsoundness 
429. 

Balls,  the  manner  of  giving,  442 ;  the 
manner  of  making,  ib. 

Barbary  horse,  description  of  21. 

Barbs  or  paps,  treatment  of,  133. 

Bark,  Peruvian,  the  properties  of  it,  443. 

Barley,  considered  as  food  for  the  horse, 
396. 

Barnacles,  use  of  the,  as  a  mode  of  re- 
straint, 360. 

Bar-shoe,  description  and  use  of,  352. 

Bars,  description  and  office  of  the,  296  ; 
proper   paring  of    for   shoeing,  297 
folly  of  cutting  them  away,  ib. ;   re- 
moval of,  a  cause  of  contraction,  ib. ; 
corns,  ib. 

Basilicon  ointment,  443. 

Bay  horses,  description  of  413. 

Beans,  good  for  hardly-worked  horses, 
and  that  have  a  tendency  to  purge, 
397,  402;  should  always  he  crushed 
398. 

Bearing-rein,  the  use  and  abuse  cf  116. 

Beet,  the  nutritive  matter  in,  401. 

Belladonna,  extract  of  443. 


472 


Biceps  femoris,  account  of  the,  274. 

Bile,  account  of  the,  213. 

Bishopingthe  teeth,  description  of,  128. 

Biting,  a  had  hahit,  and  how  usually  ac- 
quired, 372. 

Bit,  the,  often  too  sharp,  118;  sometimes 
got  into  the  mouth,  372. 

Biting  of  the  colt,  242. 

Black  horses,  description  and  character 
of,  414. 

Blaze,  19. 

Bladder,  description  of  the,  234;  inflam- 
mation of  symptoms  and  treatment, 
ib. ;  neck  of  ib. ;  stone  in  the,  235. 

Bleeding,  best  place  f©r  general,  166, 
361;  directions  for,  140,  166;  from 
veins  rather  than  arteries,  140;  finger 
should  be  on  the  pulse  during,  360 ; 
importance  of,  in  inflammation,  ib. ; 
at  the  toe  described,  168;  comparison 
between  the  fleam  and  lancet,  166, 167. 

Blindness,  usual  method  of  discovering, 
64 ;  discovered  by  the  pupil  not  dila- 
ting or  contracting,  ib.  ;  of  one  eye, 
ib. 

Blistering  all  round  at  once,  barbarity 
and  danger  of,  363,  445  ;  after  firing, 
absurdity  and  cruelty  of,  362. 

Blisters,  best  composition  of,  3P2 ;  the 
different  kinds  and  uses  of,  ib. ;  best 
mode  of  applying,  ib.  ;  caution  with 
regard  to  their  application,  ib. ;  the 
principle  of  their  action,  443  ;  use  of, 
in  inflammation,  362  ;  comparison  be- 
tween them  and  rowels  and  setons, 
366,  367. 

Blood,  change  in  after  bleeding,  167  ; 
changes  in  during  respiration,  156  ; 
coagulation  of,  189  ;  horses,  very  sub- 
ject to  contraction,  309 ;  spavin,  na- 
ture and  treatment  of,  164. 

Bloody  urine,  233. 

Bog  spavin,  nature  and  treatment  of, 
164,  281,  282,  287.  _ 

Bole- Armenian,  medical  use  of,  444. 

Bones,  strength  does  not  depend  on  the 
size  of,  28. 

Bone-spavin,  nature  and  treatment  of, 
£83. 

Bots  in  the  stomach,  natural  history  of, 
208,  209  ;  not  usually  injurious,  209. 

Bowels,  inflammation  of  the,  220. 

Brain,  description  of  the,  55 ;  its  cortical 
and  cineritious  composition,  56 ;  the 
office  of  eacl),  ib. ;  compression  of  the, 
56,  69  ;  pressure  on  the,  69  ;  inflamma- 
tion of  the,  74. 

Bran,  as  food  for  the  horse,  397. 

Breaking  in  should  commence  in  the 
second  winter,  240  ;  description  of  its 
various  stages,  240,  241  ;  necessity  of 
gentleness  and  patience  in.  ib. ;  of  the 
farmer's  horse,  ib. ;  of  the  hunter  or 
iiackney,  ib. 
Breast,  muscles  of  the,  152. 


Breathing,  the  mechanism  of,  154, 

Breeding,  qualities  of  the  mare  of  bj 
much  importance  as  those  of  the  horse, 
237  ;  the  peculiarity  of  form  and  con- 
stitution inherited,  ib. ;  in-and-in.  ob- 
servaiions  on,  26,  238. 

Breeds,  good  effects  of  crossing  them, 
29  ;  bad  effects  of  ditto,  ib. 

Broken  down,  what.  259. 

Broken  knees,  treatment  of,  254  ;  method 
of  judging  of  the  danger  of  ib. ;  when 
healed,  not  unsoundness,  but  the  form 
and  action  of  the  horse  should  be  care- 
fully examined,  421, 

Broken-wind,  nature  and  ti'eatment  of, 
196 ;  influenced  much,  and  often 
caused  by  the  manner  of  feeding, 
198 ;  how  distinguished  from  thick- 
wind,  ib. 

Bronchial  tubes,  description  of  the,  144 

Bronchitis,  nature  and  treatment  of,  184 

Bronchocele,  account  of,  174. 

Bronchotomy,  the  operation  of,  165, 

Brood   mare,    description   of  the,    237 
should  not  be  too  old,  ib. ;    treatment 
of,  after  covering,  238  ;    after  foalmg, 
239. 

Brown  horses,  description  of,  387, 

Buccinator  muscle,  description  of  the, 
103. 

CAECUM,  description  of  the,  211. 
Calamine  powder,  account  of.  417, 
Calculi  in  the  intestines,  226. 
Calkins,  advantages  and  disadvantages 

of    346 ;    should   be   placed   on  both 

heels,  ib. 
Camphor,  the  medical  use  of,  444. 
Canadian  horse,  character  of,  29  ;  cross 

with  American  horse,  29. 
Canker  of  the  foot,  nature  and  treatment 
.  of,  330. 
Cannon,  or  shank-bone,  description  of 

the  256. 
Cantharides,  from  the  best  blister,  445  » 

given  for  the  cure  of  glanders,  ib. 
Capillary  vessels,  the,  159, 
Capivi,  balsam  of,  448. 
Capped  hock,  nature  and  treatment  of, 

270,   285,   286;    although  not  always 

unsoundness  there  should  be  a  special 

warranty  against  it,  421. 
Capsicum  Berries,  their  stimulating  ef- 
fect, 445. 
Carbonate  of  blood  got  rid  of  in  respira 

tion. 
Carbonate  of  iron,  a  mild  tonic,  454. 
Carraways,  a  good  aromatic,  445. 
Carrots,  excellent  effects  of  in  disease, 

401, 
Cartilages  of  the  foot,  description  and 

action  of  the,  299  ;  ossification  of  the 

331,  427  ;  a  cause  of  unsoundness,  4'~7 
Caruncula  lacrymalis,  the,  93. 
Cascarilla  Bark,  a  tonic  and  aromatic,  445 


INDEX. 


473 


Castor  oil,  not  a  purgative  for  the  horse, 
445. 

Casitration,  method  of,  245  ;  proper  pe- 
riod for,  244,  245 ;  the  operation  by 
torsion,  245. 

Cataract  in  the  eye,  nature  "of,  65;  can- 
not be  operated  on  in  the  horse,  ib. ; 
metliod  of  examination  for,  ib. :  the 
occasional  appearance  and  disappear;- 
ance  of,  96. 

Catarrh,  description  and  ti-eatment  of, 
169.  170  ;  distin^fuished  from  inlanders, 
170;  distinguished  from  inilammation 
of  the  lungs,  169;  epidemic,  175. 

Catarrhal  fever,  nature  and  treatment  of, 
170. 

Catachu,  a  good  astringent,  method  of 
giving,  and  adulterations  of,  446. 

Catheter,  description  of  one,  235,  236. 

Caustic,  an  account  of  the  best,  446. 

Cawl,  description  of  the,  214. 

Cerebellum,  description  of  the,  56. 

Cerebrum,  description  of  the,  56. 

Chalk,  its  medicinal  use  in  the  horse, 
446. 

Chatf.  attention  should  be  paid  to  the 
goodness  of  the  ingredients,  393  ;  best 
composition  of,  ib. ;  when  given  to  the 
hard-worked  horse,  much  time  is  saved 
for  repose,  394;  quantity  necessary 
for  different  kinds  of  horse.s,  393. 

Chamomile,  a  mild  tonic,  446. 

Channel  of  the  jaws,  what,  121. 

Charcoal,  useful  in  a  poultice,  and  as  an 
antiseptic,  447. 

Charges,  composition  and  use  of,  447. 

Chest,  anatomy  of  the.  145;  proper  form 
of  the,  146;  cut  of  the,  145;  the  im- 
portance of  depth  of  146  ;  narrow  and 
rounded,  comparison  between,  ib. ; 
the  broad  chest,  147  ;  founder,  descrip- 
tion of,  152. 

Chestnut  horses,  varieties  of,  412.         * 

Chinked  in  the  chine,  what,  149. 

Childers,  Flying,  cut  of,  18 :  Bartletts, 
19  ;  their  get,  ib. 

Chloride  of  lime,  an  excellent  disinfec- 
tant. 412  ;  of  soda,  useful  in  unhealthy 
ulcers,  415. 

Chorea,  83. 

Choroid  coat  of  the  eye,  description  and 
use  of  the,  63. 

Chyle,  the  formation  of,  211. 

Ciliary  processes  of  the  eye,  description 
of  tile,  64. 

Cineritous  matter  of  the  brain,  nature  and 
function  of  the,  56 

Cleveland  Bay,  character  of,  39 ;  im- 
ported into  United  States,  ib. 

Clicking,  cause  and  remedy  of  380. 

Clipping,  recommendation  of,  407. 

Clips,  when  necessary,  346. 

Clover,  considered  as  an  article  of  food, 
400. 

Clysters,  the  composition  and  great  use- 


fulness of,   447 ;   directions  as  to  the 
administration  of,  ih. 

Coat,  fine,  persons  much  too  solicitou* 
to  procure  it,  390. 

Cocktail  horse,  mode  of  nicking,  368 

Cotiin-bone.  description  of  the,  299;  the 
lamellae,  or  leaves  of,  ib. ;  fracture  of, 
342. 

Coffin-joint,  sprain  of,  368. 

Cold,  common,  description  and  treat 
ment  of  169. 

Colic,  flatulent,  account  of,  21 8;  spasmed 
ic.  description  and  treatment  of  215. 

Colon,  description  of  the,  211,  212. 

Color,  remarks  on,  411. 

Colt,  early  treatment  of  the.  240. 

Complexus  major,  description  of  the, 
139  ;  minor,  description  of  the,  ib. 

Concave-seated  shoe,  the,  described  and 
recommended,  348. 

Conjunctiva,  description  of  the.  61  ;  ap- 
pearance of  how  far  a  test  of  inflam- 
mation, ib. 

Consternation,  cut  of ,  frontispiece ;  ped- 
igree of  22;  character  of  23,  24. 

Consumption,  account  of  199. 

Contraction  of  the  foot,  nature  of  307, 
391 ;  the  peculiarity  of  the  lameness 
produced  by,  309  ;  how  far  connected 
with  the  navicular  disease,  312  ;  is  not 
the  necessary  consequence  of  shoeing 
307 ;  produced  by  neglect  of  paring 
308  ;  wearing  the  shoes  too  long.  ib. 
want  of  natural  moisture,  309  ;  the  re 
moval  of  the  bars,  ib.  ;  not  so  much 
produced  by  litter  as  imagined,  309  . 
the  cause  rather  than  the  consequence 
of  thrush,  307  ;  best  mode  of  treating 
310,  311 ;  rarely  permanently  cured 
311;  does  not  necessarily  imply  un 
soundness,  421 ;  although  not  neces 
sarily  unsoundness,  should  have  i, 
special  warranty  against  it,  422 ; 
blood  horses  very  subject  to,  309. 

Convexity  of  the  eye,  the  proper,  not 
sufKciently  attended  to,  62. 

Copaiba,  account  of  the  resin,  448. 

Copper,  the  combination  of,  used  in  vet 
erinary  practice,  448. 

Corded  veins^  what,  114. 

Cordials,  the  use  and  abuse  of,  in  the 
horse,  449. 

Cornea,  description  of  the,  62;  mode  of 
examining  the,  ib.  ;  its  prominence  or 
flatness,  ib. ;  should  be  perfectly  trans 
parent,  ib. 

Corns,  the  nature  and  treatment  of, 
326 ;  produced  by  cutting  away  the 
bars,  ib. ;  not  paring  out  the  foot  be 
tween  the  crust  and  bars,  ib. ;  pres- 
sure, ib.  ;  very  difficult  to  cure,  329 
constitute  unsoundness,  422. 

Coronary  ligament,  description  of  the 
296;  the  crust  principally  producetf 
from,  ib. ;  ring,  description  of  the,  ib. 


4  '4 


INDEX. 


Coronet,  description  of  the,  296. 

Corrosive  sublimate,  a  good  tonic  for 
farcy,  411. 

Cortical  substance  of  the  brain,  descrip- 
tion and  fraction  of,  56. 

Cough,  the  nature  and  treatment  of, 
190,  191  ;  constitutes  unsoundness, 
421  ;  the  occasional  difficulty  with  re- 
gard to  this,  430. 

Cow  hocks,  description  of,  286. 

Cradle,  a  safe  I'estraint  upon  the  horse 
when  blistered,  363. 

Cramp,  the  nature  and  treatment  of 
82. 

Cream  c  iored  horses,  account  of,  412 ; 
peculiarity  in  their  eyes,  63. 

Cream  of  tartar,  a  mild  diuretic,  414. 

Creasote,  its  use  in  veterinary  practice, 
450. 

Crib-biting,  description  of,  378  ;  causes 
and  cure,  ib. ;  injurious  to  the  horse, 
378 ;  constitutes  unsoundness,  378, 
379. 

Cricoid  cartilage  of  the  windpipe,  the, 
143. 

Cropping  of  the  ear,  absurdity  of  59. 

Crossing  the  breeds,  good  effect  of,  29  ; 
bad  effects  of  ditto,  ib. 

Croton,  the  farina  of,  used  in  physic, 
450. 

Crust  of  the  foot,  description  of  the,  293  ; 
composition  of  the,  294 ;  consisting 
within  of  numerous  horny  plates,  ib. ; 
proper  degree  of  it,  slanting,  295 ; 
proper  thickness  of  the,  ib. ;  brittleness 
of  remedy  for,  297  ;  the  cause  of  sand- 
crack,  317. 

Crystalline  lens,  description  of  the,  65. 

Cuboid   bones,  description   of  the,  279. 

Cuneiform  bones,  description  of  the,  55, 
279. 

Curbs,  nature  and  treatment  of,  280; 
constitute  unsoundness,  424. 

Cuticle,  description  of  the,  405. 

Cutis,  or  true  skin,  account  of  the,  405. 

Cutting,  cause  and  cure  of  266,  380 ; 
constitutes  unsoundness,  424 ;  away 
the  foot,  unfounded  prejadice  against, 
308. 

Dandriff,  the  nature  of,  405. 

Darley  Arabian,  19. 

Deafness,  98. 

Depressor  labii  inferioris  muscle,  des- 
cription of  the,  103. 

Diabetes,  the  nature  and  treatment  of 
233. 

Diaphoretics,  their  nature  and  effects, 
451. 

Diaphragm,  description  of  the,  153 ; 
rupture  of  207  ;  its  connection  with 
respiration,  154. 

Digestion,  the  process  of  it  described, 
451. 

.'digestives,  their  nature  and  use,  45i. 


Digitalis,  highly  recommended  in  colds 

and  all  iullammatory  complaints,  451. 
Dilator   magnus   lateralis   muscle,   des 

cription   of  the,   274 ;    naris   lateralis 

muscle,  description  of,  ib. 

Distance,  42. 
Diuretic  medicines,  the  use  and  abuse  of, 

452. 
Docking,  method  of  performing,  367. 
Dogs,  danger  of  encouraging  them  about 

the  stable,  76. 
Dray  horse,  character  of  40. 
Drinks,  how  to  administer,  453 ;    com 

parison  between  them  and  balls,  ib. 
Dropsy  of  the  chest,  203;  of  the  heart, 

157. 
Drum  of  the  ear,  description  and  use  of 

the.  58,  59. 
Dun  horse,  account  of  the,  412. 
Duodenum,    description    of    the,    211 , 

diseases  of  the,  ib. 
Dura  mater,  description  of  the,  55. 

Ear,  description  of  the  external  parts, 
58 ;  internal  parts,  ib.  ;  bones  of  the, 
description  and  use  of  58,  59  ;  laby- 
rinth of  the,  58  ;  indicative  of  the  tern 
per,  ib. ;  clipping  and  singeing,  cruelty 
of  59  ;  treatment  of  wounds  or  bruises 
of  98  ;  cruel  operations  on  the,  ib. 

Eclipse,   pedigree  of,   20;  form  of,  20, 
history  and  performances  of,  20,  21 
thickwinded,  20. 

Elasticity  of  the  ligament  of  the  neck, 
54. 

Elbow,  the  proper  form  and  inclination 
of  253  ;  capped,  252  ;  fracture  of,  338  ; 
punctured,  253. 

Emetic  tartar,  used  as  a  nauseant,  dia 
phoretic,  and  worm  medicine,  441. 

Enamel  of  the  teeth,  account  of  the,  122 

English  Echpse,  20. 

Ensiform  cartilage,  the,  146. 

Entanglement  of  the  intestines,  descrip 
tion  of  226. 

Enteritis,  account  of,  220. 

Epidemic  catarrh,  nature  and  treatraen- 
of  175 ;  malignant,  nature  and  treat 
ment  of  181. 

Epiglottis,  description  of  the,  142. 

Epilepsy,  natui-e  and  treatment  of,  84. 

Epsom  salts,  used  as  a  purgative,  460 

Ergot  of  rye,  the  action  of,  405. 

Ethmoid  bone,  description  of  the,  55. 

Ewe-neck,  unsightliness  and  inconveni 
ence  of  139. 

Exchanges  of  horses  stand  on  the  sam* 
ground  as  sales,  433. 

Exercise,  directions  for,  391 ;  the  neces 
sity  of  regular,  392  ;  want  of  produ- 
cing grease,  290  ;  more  injury  done  by 
the  want  of  it  than  by  the  hardest 
work..  391. 

Exi)ansion  shoe,  description  and  use  of 
the  35.7 


Extensor  pedis  muscle,  description  of 
the,  267. 

Eye,  description  of  the,  89  ;  cut  of  the, 
62  ;  fracture  of  the  orbit  of  the,  68  ; 
healthy  appearance  of  the,  61;  dis- 
eases of  the.  91  ;  iatianimation  of, 
common,  93  ;  ditto,  specitic,  94  ;  ditto, 
causes,  95 ;  ditto,  medical  treatment 
of,  94,  95  ;  ditto,  untractable  nature  of, 
95,  96  ;  ditto,  consequences  of,  95 ; 
ditto,  marks  of  recent,  425  ;  ditto,  con- 
stitutes unsoundness,  ib.  ;  ditto,  here- 
ditary, 95  ;  method  and  importance  of 
examining  it,  62,  64  ;  indicative  of  the 
temper,  59  ;  the  pit  above,  indicative 
of  the  age,  48 ;  mascles  of  the,  66. 

Eyebrows,  substitute  for,  60, 

Eyelashes,  description  of,  60  ;  folly  of 
singeing  them,  ib. 

Eyelid,  description  of,  60. 

Eyelids,  diseases  of  the,  91. 

Exostosis  on  the  orbit  of  the  eye,  68. 

Face,  description  of  the,  99  ;  cut  of  the 
muscles,  nerves,  and  blood-vessels  of, 
102. 

Falling  in  of  the  foot,  what,  306. 

False  quarter,  nature  and  treatment  of, 
320,  321. 

Farcy,  a  disease  of  the  absorbents  of  the 
skin,  114,  115;  connected  with  glan- 
ders, 114  ;  both  general  and  infectious. 
116  ;  symptoms  of,  115  ;  treatment  of 
116  ;  buds,  what,  115  ,  the  efteLt  of 
cantharides  in,  117  ;  diniodide  of  cop- 
per, ib. 

Feeding,  high,  connected  with  grease, 
291  ;  regular  periods  of,  necessity  of 
attending  to,  402;  manner  of,  has 
much  inlluence  on  broken  wind,  197. 

Feet,  the  general  management  of,  403  ; 
attention  to,  and  stopping  at  night,  re- 
commended, ib. 

Felt  soles,  description  and  use  of  353. 

Femur,  fracture  of  the,  339. 

Fetlock,  description  of  the,  267. 

Fever,  idiopathic  or  pure,  163 ;  symp- 
toms of,  ib. ;   symptomatic,  164. 

Fibula,  description  of  the,  276. 

Firing,  the  principle  on  which  resorted 
to,  364  ;  mode  of  applying,  365  ;  .should 
not  penetrate  the  skin,  ib. ;  absurdity 
and  cruelty  of  blistering  after,  ib.  ; 
horse  should  not  be  used  for  some 
months  after,  ib. 

Fistulai'acrymalis,  60  ;  in  the  poll,  136. 

Fits,  symptoms,  causes,  and  treatment 
of  84. 

Fleam  and  lancet,  comparison  between 
them,  166. 

Plexor  of  the  arm,  description  of  the, 
253  ;  meiatarsi  muscle,  description  of 
the.  276:  pedis  perforatus,  the  perfora- 
ted muscle,  description  of  the,  253, 
276  ;  pedis  perforans,  the  perforating 


muscle,  description  of  the,  253,  258 
276. 

Flying  Childers.  the  nc  plus  nUra  of 
success  reached  in  his  days,  29. 

Foal,  early  treatment  of,  239 ;  early 
handling  of,  important,  240 ;  impor- 
tance of  liberal  feeding  of,  ib. ;  time 
for  w^eaning,  ib. 

Fomentations,  theory  and  use  of,  454. 

Food  of  the  horse,  observations  on,  392 ; 
a  list  of  the  usual  articles  of,  395,  et  seq. 
should  be  apportioned  to  the  work, 
393. 

Foot,  description  of  the,  293  ;  diseases 
of  the,  302  ;  canker,  330  ;  corns,  326  , 
contraction,  307 ;  fal.se  quarter,  320  ; 
founder,  acute,  302;  chronic  laminitis, 
305  ;  inflammation,  304  ;  navicular 
joint  disease,  311;  overreach,  319, 
prick,  324  ;  pumiced,  305 ;  quitter, 
321  ;  sandcrack,  317  ;  thrush,  329  ; 
tread,  319  ;  weakness,  331  ;  wounds, 
324. 

Forceps,  arterial,  the  use  of,  168. 

Forehead,  the  different  form  of,  in  the 
ox  and  horse,  56. 

Fore-legs,  description  of,  246  ;  diseases 
of  them,  254  ;  proper  position  of 
them,  270. 

Forge-water  occasionally  used,  454. 

Form,  on  the  improvement  of,  25. 

Founder,  acute,  symptoms,  causes,  and 
treatment  of,  302  ;  chronic,  nature  and 
treatment  of  305. 

Foxglove,  strongly  recommended  in 
colds,  and  all  fevers,  451. 

Fracture  of  the  skull,  treatment  of  68  ; 
general  observations  on  fractures,  333; 
of  the  skull,  335  ;  orbit  of  the  eye,  ib. , 
nasal  bones,  ib.  ;  superior  maxillary 
or  upper  jaw-bone,  ib. ;  inferior  ditto, 
336  ;  spine,  ib.  ;  ribs,  ib.  ;  pelvis, 
337 ;  tail,  ib. ;  limbs,  ib.  ;  shoulder, 
338  ;  arm  ib.  ;  elbow,  ib.  ;  femur,  339  ; 
patella,  ib.  ;  tibia,  ib. ;  hock,  ib. ;  "leg, 
340  ;  sessamoid  bones,  ib. ;  pastern, 
ib. ;  lower  pastern,  341  ;  coffin-bone, 
342 ;  navicular  bone,  ib. 

Frog,  horny,  description  of  the,  298  j 
sensible,  description  of  the,  298,  300  ; 
ditto,  action  and  use  of  the,  298  ; 
pressure,  question  of  the,  299  ;  proper 
paring  of  for  shoeing,  ib. ;  diseases 
of  the,  ib. 

Frontal  bone-s  description  of  the,  47 ; 
sinuses,  description  of  the,  48 ;  ditto, 
perforated  to  detect  glanders,  ib. 

Furze,  considered  as  an  article  of  food, 
401. 

Gall,  account  of  the,  213  ;  bladder,  the 

horse  has  none,  ib. 
Gall-stones,  229. 
Gentian,  the  best  trjnio  for  the  horse, 

455 


47G 


INDEK. 


Gibbing,  a  bad  habit,  cause  of,  and 
means  of  lessening,  370. 

Gigs,  forrnaiion  of,  133. 

Ginger,  aa  excellent  aromatic  and  tonic, 
45.5,  468. 

Glanders,  nature  of,  107,  109  ;  symp- 
toms, 51,  107,  112;  slow  progress   of, 

107,  109;  appearance  of  the  nose  in, 
"il,  107,  110;  detected  by  injecting 
the  frontal  sinuses,  48  ;  how  distin- 
guished from  catai-rh,  109  ;  ditto  from 
strangles,  ib.  ;  connected  with   farcy, 

108,  110;  treatment  of  113;  cause's, 
111;  both  generated  and  contagious, 
111,  112  429;  oftenest  produced  by 
improper  stable  management,  112  ; 
mode  of  communication,  iM.  ;  preven- 
tion of,  113  ;  account  of  its  speedy  ap- 
pearance, 111,  112. 

Glands,  enlarged,  it  depends  on  many 
circumstances  whether  they  constitute 
unsoundness,  424. 

Glass-eye,  nature  and  treatment  of,  97. 

Glauber's  salt,  its  etfect,  466. 

Glutaei  muscles,  description  of  the,  274. 

Goulard's  extract,  the  use  of  it  much 
overvalued,  460. 

Gracilis  muscle,  description  of  the,  273. 

Grains,  occasionally  used  for  horses  of 
slow  work,  396. 

Grapes  on  the  heels,  treatment  of,  291. 

Grasses,  neglect  of  the  farmer  as  to  the 
proper  mixture  of,  399. 

Gray  horses,  account  of  the  different 
shades  of,  411,  412. 

Grease,  nature  and  treatment  of,  288  ; 
cause  of,  289  ;  farmer's  horse  not  so 
subject  tf)  it  as  others,  290  ;  generally 
a  mere  local  complaint,  289. 

Grinders,  construction  of  the,  122. 

Grinding,  of  the  food,  accomplished  by 
the  mechanism  of  the  joint  of  the  low- 
er jaw,  120 ;  swallowing  without, 
377. 

GroggineSvS,  account  of,  265. 

Grooming,  as  important  as  exercise  to 
the  horse,  399  ;  opens  the  pores  of  the 
skin,  and  gives  a  fine  coat,  390 ;  di- 
rections for,  ib. 

Grunter,  the,  description  of,  198  ;  is  un- 
sound, 423. 

Gullet,  description  of  the,  206;  foreign 
bodies  in,  208. 

Gum-arabic,  for  what  purposes  used, 
435. 

Gutta  serena,  nature  and  treatment  of, 
97. 

Habits,  vicious  or  dangerous,  370. 

Ha^maturia,  233. 

Hair,  account  of  the,  405 ;  question  of 

cutting  it  from  the  heels,  2S1. 
Haunch,  description  of  the,  271  ;  wide, 

advantage  of,  272  ;  injuries  of  the,  ib.*; 

joint,  singular  strength  of  it,  271  ;  also 


of  the  thigh  bones,  advantage  of  tti« 
oblique  direction  of  ib. 

Haw,  curious  mechanisii.  of  the,  6C 
diseases  of  92  :  absurdit}  and  crue. 
ty  of  destroying  it,  61. 

Hay,  considered  as  food,  394;  mow- 
burnt,  injurious,  399  ;  old  preferable 
to  new,  398. 

Head,  anatomy  of  the,  47  ;  the  numerous 
bones  composing  it  the  reason  of  thi.e, 
47,48;  section  of  the,  49  ;  beautiul 
provision  for  its  support,  53. 

Healing  ointment,  account  of  the.  468. 

Hearing  of  the  horse,  the  very  acute, 
58. 

Heart,  de.scription  of  the,  155  ;  its  action 
described,  156  ;  inflammation  of  the, 
157  ;  dropsy  of  the,  ib. 

Heels,  question  of  cutting  tlie  hair  from 
them,  291  ;  low,  disadvantage  of,  332, 
profier  paring  of,  for  shoeing,  343 ; 
\vashing  of  the,  producing  grease, 
291. 

Hellebore,  white,  used  in  inflammation 
of  the  lungs  and  fevers,  455  ;  black, 
its  use,  ib. 

Hemlock,  given  in  inflammation  of  the 
chest,  456. 

Hepatic  duct,  the,  213. 

Hernia,  the  nature  and  treatment  of, 
227. 

Hide-bound,  the  nature  and  treatment 
of,  383. 

High-blower,  or  I'oarer,  a  description  of 
the  193  ;  is  unsound,  423. 

Hind  legs,  description  of  the,  271. 

Hip-joint,  the  great  strength  of  the,  272 

Hips,  ragged,  what,  272. 

Hobbles,  description  of  the  best,  359. 

Hock,  capped,  285,  286 ;  description  of 
the,  278  ;  enlargement  of  the,  nature 
of  and  how  affecting  soundness,  279, 
425  ;  inflammation  of  the  small  bonea 
of,  a  frequent  cau.se  of  lameness,  279; 
the  principal  seat  of  lameness  behind, 
ib.  ;  lameness  of  it,  without  apparent 
cause,  285 ;  fracture  of  339. 

Hogs'  lard,  properties  of,  437. 

Hoof,  cut  of  the,  293  ;  description  of  the, 
294. 

Horn  of  the  crust,  secreted  principally 
by  the  coronary  ligament,  297  ;  once 
separated  from  the  sensible  part  with- 
in, will  never  again  unite  with  it,  ib. 

Horse,  the  race  horse,  17  ;  Arabian,  25  ; 
the  Canadian,  29 ;  the  Cleveland  bay, 
38  ;  the  Norman,  29  ;  the  Morgan,  35 ; 
the  dray,  39 ;  the  trotter,  40 ;  superi- 
ority of  American  over  English,  41, 
42. 

Humerus,  description  of  the,  252. 

Hydrocyanic  acid,  its  occasional  good 
service,  436. 

Hydrothorax,  symptoms  and  treatment 
of,  202. 


INDEX. 


477 


IvEUM,  descript'on  of  the.  211 

[nHaininatioo,  nature  of,  160  ;  treatment 
of,  ItiO,  161 ;  hot  or  cold  applications 
to,  guide  in  the  choice  of,  ib.  ;  import- 
ance of  bleedini^  in,  160,  361  ;  when 
proper  to  physic  in.  161 ;  of  the  bow- 
els, 2-20 ;  ditto,  distinction  between  it 
and  colic,  ?7>. ;  brain,  74  ;  eye,  93 ; 
fool,  30-2;  kidneys,  231  ;  larj/nx,  171; 
lungs,  186;  stomach,*  207;  trachea, 
172;  veins.  141. 

Influenza,  nature  and  treatment  of,  175. 

Infusions,  manner  of  making  them,  457. 

Insanity,  90. 

Iniercostal  muscles,  description  of  the. 
146. 

Intestines,  description  of  the,  210. 

Introsusception  of  the  intestines,  treat- 
ment of,  226. 

Invertebrated  animals,  what,  44. 

Iodine,  usefulness  of,  in  i-educing  en- 
larged glands,  458. 

Iris,  description  of  the,  64. 

Iron,  the  carbonate  of,  a  mild  and  useful 
tonic,  454 ;  sulphate  of.  a  stronger 
tonic,  ib. ;  ditto,  recommended  for  the 
cure  of  glanders,  ib. 

Itchiness  of  the  skin  should  always  be 
regarded  with  suspicion,  458. 

James's  powder,  442. 

Jaundice,  symptoms  and  treatment  of, 

229,  230. 
Jaw,  the  lower,  admirable  mechanism 

of  i20  ;  vipper.  description  of,  121. 
Jejunum,  description  of  the,  211. 
Jointed  shoe,  the  description  and  use  of, 

3.53. 
Jugular  vein,  bleeding  from  the,  167. 
Juniper,  oil  of,  use  of,  458. 

Kicking,  a  bad  and  inveterate  habit. 
373. 

Kidneys,  description  of  the,  230  ,•  in- 
flammation of,  symptoms  and  treat- 
ment of  231. 

Knee,  an  anatomical  description  of  the, 
253  ;  tied  in  below,  258 ;  broken,  treat- 
ment of,  254,  421. 

Knowledge  of  the  horse.how  acquired,46. 

Labyiunth  of  the  ear,  description  and 

use  of  the,  58. 
Lachrymal  duct,  description  of  the,  60; 

gland,  de.scription  and  use  of  the,  ib. 
Lamed*,  or  laniin;T»,  horny,  account  of 

tlie,  297  ;    fleshy,  account  of  the,  ib. ; 

weight  of  the  horse,  supported  by  the, 

ib. 
Lameness,   shoulder,  method   of  ascer- 
taining.   246 ;    from   whatever  cause, 

unsoundness.  426. 
Lampas,  nature   and   treatment  of,  119  ;  < 

cruelty  of  burning  the  bars  for,  120. 
Laminae  of  the  foot.     See  Lamellae. 


1  Lancet  and  fleam,  comparison  between 
!      them,  166. 

Laryngitis,  chronic  and  acute,  172. 
[  Larynx,  description  of  the,  143  ;  inflara- 
[      matiou  of  the,  171. 
I  Laudanum,    the   u.se    of   in    veterinary 
practice,  461,  462. 
Lead,  the  compounds  of,  used  in  veter- 
inary   practice,    459 ;    extract  of,    its 
power  much  over-valued,  ib. ;  sugar 
of  use  of  //;.  ;  while,  use  of  ib. 
Leather,  soles,  description  and  use  of, 

353. 
Leg,  cut  of  the,  87  ;  description  of  the, 

256;  fracture  of  the,  342. 
Legs,  fore,  the  situation  of,  246;  hind, 
anatomical    description  of   the,   271 ; 
swelled,  287. 
Levator  humeri  muscle,  description  of 

the,  250. 
Lever,    muscular   action  explained   on 
j      the  principle  of  it,  248. 
I  Ligament  of  the  neck,  description  and 
[      elasticity  of  the,  53,  54. 
I  Light,  the  degree  of,  in  the  stable,  389. 
j  Limbs,  fracture  of  the,  337. 
I  Lime,  the  chloride  of,  exceedingly  use- 
ful   for   bad    smelling    wounds,    &c., 
459  ;     the    chloride    of    valuable    in 
cleansing  stables  from  infection,  ib. 
Liniments,  the  composition  and  use  of. 

459. 
Linseed,  an  infusion  of,  used  in  catarrh, 
398,  460  ;  meal  forms  the  best  poultice, 
460,  463. 
Lips,  anatomy    and  uses   of  the,  117 

lips  the  hands  of  the  horse,  ib. 
Litter,  the,  cannot  be  too  frequently  re- 
moved, 387 ;    proper  .substances  for 
388  ;    conti'action    not    so   much   pro- 
duced by  it  as  some  imagine,  309. 
Liver,  the  anatomy  and  use  of  it,  213 ; 

diseases  of  the,  228. 
Locked    jaw,    symptom.s,    cause,    and 

treatment  of  79. 
Loins,  description  of  the,  150. 
Luceru,  considered  as  an  article  of  food, 

400. 
Lumbricus  teres,  or  long  white  worm, 

the,  227. 
Lunar  caustic,  a  very  excellent  applica- 
tion, 442. 
Lungs,   description  of  the,   155;  symp- 
toms  of   intiammation    of   the,    186  , 
causes    of,    ib.  ;     how    distinguished 
from  catarrh  and  distemper,  186,  187; 
»   treatment  of  188,  189  ;  importance  of 
early  bleeding  in,  190  ;  blisters  prefer- 
able to  rowels  or  setons  in,  191. 

Madness,  the  symptoms  and  treatment 

of,  76. 
.Magnesia,  the  sulphate  of  460. 
Mailenders,   the   situation   of  270 ;   the 

nature  and  treatment  of,  286. 


478 


INDEX. 


Mammalia,  the,  an  important  class  of 
animals,  45. 

Manchester,  account  of  the  course  at, 
42. 

Mane,  description  and  use  of  the,  139. 

Mange,  description  and  treatment  of, 
416  ;  causes  of,  416,  417  ;  ointment, 
recipes  for,  417  ;  highly  infectious, 
418  ;  method  of  purifying  the  stable 
after,  ib. 

Manger-feeding,  the  advantage  of,  393. 

Mare,  put  to  the  horse  too  early,  237, 
238  ;  deterioration  in,  238  ;  her  proper 
form,  ib.  :  breeding  in-and-in,  ib. ; 
time  of  being  at  heat,  239  ;  time  of 
going  with  foal,  ib.  ;  best  time  for 
covering,  ib. ;  management  of,  when 
with  foal,  ib.  ;  management  of,  after 
foaling,  ib. 

Mark  of  the  teeth,  what,  122. 

Mashes,  importance  of  their  use,  460  ; 
best  method  of  making  them,  ib. 

Masseier  muscle,  description  of  the,  103. 

Maxillary  bones,  anatomy  of  the,  118; 
fractures  of,  335,  336. 

Medicines,  a  list  of  the  most  useful, 
435 

Medullary  substance  of  the  brain,  its 
nature  and  function,  50,  56. 

Megrims,  cause,  69  ;  .symptoms,  70  ; 
treatment,  ib. ;  apt  to  return,  ib. 

Melt,  description  of  the,  213. 

Mercurial  ointment,  the  use  of  in  veteri- 
nary practice,  456. 

Mercury,  various  preparations  of,  456. 

Me.sentery,  description  of  the,  211. 

Metacarpals,  de.scription  of  tlie,  253. 

Midriff,  description  of  the,  153. 

Moisture,  \vant  of,  a  cause  of  contraction. 
309. 

Moon-blindness,  the  nature  of,  94. 

Morgan  horse,  cut  of  35  ;  origin  of,  36, 
37  •,  character  of,  37,  38. 

Moulting,  the  process  of,  410  ;  the  horse 
usually  languid  at  the  time  of,  ib.  ;  no 
stimulant  or  spices  should  be  given, 
ib.  ;  mode  of  treatment  under,  ib. 

Mounting  the  colt,  243. 

Mouth  of  the  horse,  description  of  the 
bones  of,  118;  should  be  always  felt 
lightly  in  riding,  ib. ;  importance  of 
its  sensibihty,  ib. 

Mowburnt  hay  injurious,  399. 

Muriatic  acid,  its  properties,  436. 

Mu.scles  of  the  back,  description  of  the, 
150  ;  breast,  ditto,  150  ;  eye,  ditto,  67'; 
face,  ditto,  102  ;  neck,  ditto,  138;  rihe, 
ditto,  146  ;  shoulder-blade,  250  ;  lower 
bone  of  the  shoulder,  ib. ;  the  advan- 
tageous direction  of,  more  important 
than  their  bulk,  247—249. 

Muscular  action,  the  principle  of  252. 

Mustard,  the  use  of,  461. 

Myrrh,  the  use  of,  for  canker  and 
wounds,  461. 


Nasalis  labii  snperioris  muscle,  descrip 
tion  of  the,  103. 

Nasal  bones,  fracture  of,  335  ;  descrip 
tion  of,  49. 

gleet,  104. 

polypus,  104. 

Navicular  bone,  de.scription  of  the,  300  ; 
the  action  and  use  of  it,  301. 

Navicular  joint,  disease,  nature  and 
treatment  of  the,  311 ;  how  far  con- 
nected with  contraction,  312  ;  the  cure 
very  uncertain,  ib.  ;  fracture  of  342. 

Neck,  anatomy  and  muscles  of  the,  1S8, 

139  ;  description  of  the  arteries  of  the, 

140  ;  description  of  the  veins  of  the, 
ib.  ;  bones  of  the,  138;  proper  confor- 
mation of  the,  ib.  ;  comparison  be- 
tween long  and  short,  139  ;  loose, 
what,  ib. 

Nerves,  the  construction  and  theory  of, 
46  ;  spinal,  the  compound  nature  of, 
57;  of  the  face,  102. 

Neurotomy,  or  nerve  operation,  object 
and  effect  of  it,  SG ;  manner  of  per- 
forming it,  ib.  ;  ca.ses  in  which  it 
should  or  sliould  not  be  pei-formed  87, 
88  ;  a  vestige  of  the  performance  of 
it,  constitutes  unsoundness,  427. 

Nicking,  the  method  of  performing,  368 ; 
useless  cruelty  often  resorted  to,  369. 

Nitre,  a  valuable  cooling  medicine,  and 
mild  diuretic,  463. 

Nitric  acid,  for  what  employed.  436. 

Nitrous  fBther,  spirit  of,  a  mild  stimulant 
and  diuretic,  461. 

Norman  hor.se,  cu.t  of,  30  ;  imported  into 
United  States,  ib.  ;  character  of,  31. 

Nose,  descri[)tion  of  the  bones  of  the, 
99,  100 ;  spontaneous  bleeding  from. 
ib.  ;  the  importance  of  its  lining  mem- 
brane, 101,  169  ;  the  no.-^e  of  the  horse 
slit  to  increase  his  wind,  102. 

No.sebag,  importance  of  the,  401. 

Nostrils,  description  of  the,  99;  peculiar 
inflammation  of  the  membrane  of  the, 
50;  the  membrane  of,  important  in 
a.scertaining  di.sease,  103,  169 ;  im- 
portance of  an  expanded  one,  101  , 
slit  by  some  nations  to  increase  the 
wind  of  the  hor.se,  102. 

Nutriment,  contained'  in  the  different  ar- 
ticles of  food,  392,  et  seq. 

Oats,  the  usual  food  of  the  horse,  395; 
should  be  old,  heavy,  dry,  and  sweet 
ib.  ;  kiln^dried,  injuriou.s  to  the  ho'  se 
ib.  ;  proper  (luantiiy  of,  for  ahorse  ib 

Oatmeal,  excellent  for  gruel,  and  so.a© 
times  used  as  a  poultice,  296. 

Occipital  bone,  description  of  the,  5' 

(Esophagus,  description  of  the,  206 

Olfactory  nerves,  the  importance  .->' 
them.  102. 

Olive  oil,  an  emollient,  461. 

Omentum,  description  of  the,  214 


INDEX. 


470 


Opacity  of  the  eye,  the  nature  and 
treatment  of,  94. 

Operations,  description  of  the  most  im- 
portant, 359. 

Ophthahiiia,  94. 

Opium,  its  great  value  in  veterinary 
practice,  461 ;  adulterations  of  it, 
462. 

Orbicularis  muscle  of  the  eye,  descrip- 
tion of  it,  67. 

Orbit  of  the  eye.  fracture  of,  68. 

Os  femoris,  account  of,  275. 

Ossification  of  the  cartilages;  cause  and 
trcLtment  of,  332. 

Over-reach,  the  nature  and  treatment  of, 
319,  380  ;  often  producing  sandcrack 
or  quittor,  380. 

Ozena,  account  of,  105. 

Pachydermata,  an  order  of  animals, 
44. 

Pack-wax,  or  ligamentum  colli,  descrip- 
tion of  the,  53,  136. 

Palate,  description  of  the,  143. 

Palm-oil,  the  b6st  substance  for  making 
up  balls,  462. 

Palsy,  the  causes  and  treatment  of,  84. 

Pancreas,  description  of  the,  230. 

Paps  or  barbs,  133. 

Parietal  bones,  description  of  the,  51. 

Paring  out  of  the  foot  for  shoeing,  direc- 
tions for,  343  ;  neglect  of,  a  cause  of 
contraction,  309. 

Parotid  gland,  description  of  the,  and  its 
diseases,  103,  133. 

Pastern,  upper,  fracture  of,  340 ;  lower, 
fracture  of,  341;  description  of  the, 
263,  267  ;  bones  of  the,  ib. ;  cut  of  the, 
ib. ;    proper  obliquity  of  the,  264. 

Patella  or  stifle  bone,  description  of  the, 
275  ;  fracture  of,  339. 

Pawing,  remedy  for,  331. 

Payment  of  the  smallest  sum  completes 
the  purchase  of  a  horse,  431. 

Peas,  sometimes  used  as  food,  but  should 
be  crushed,  398. 

Pectineus  muscle,  the,  273. 

Pectorales  muscles,  description  of  the, 
251. 

Pedigrees  of  American  trotters,  40. 

Pelvis,  fracture  of  the,  337. 

Pericardium,  description  of  the,  155. 

Perspiration,  insensible,  no  medicines 
will  certainly  increase  it.  410. 

Pharynx,  anatomy  of  the,  135. 

Phrenitis,  74. 

Phthisis  pulmonalis,  description  of,  199. 

Physic  balls,  methodof  compounding  the 
best,  442;  should  never  be  given  in 
inflammation  of  the  lungs,  154. 

Pliysicking,  rules  for,  224. 

Pia  mater,  description  of  the,  56. 

Pied  horse,  account  of  the,  412. 

Pigraentura  nigrum,  account  of  the,  63. 

Piper,  description  of  the,  198. 


I  Pit  of  the  eye,the,indicative  of  the  age,4a 

Pitch,  its  use  for  charges  and  plastera 
462. 

Pleura,  description  of  the,  154. 

Pleurisy,  the  nature  and  treatment  of. 
154,  200. 

Pneumonia,  the  nature  and  treatment  of, 
186. 

Poll-evil,  the  cause  and  treatment  of,  13« 
importance  of  the  free  escape  of  tht 
matter,  137. 

Postea  spinatus  muscle,  description  of 
the,  251. 

Potash,  the  compound  of,  462. 

Potatoes,   considered   as  an   article  of 
i       food,  401. 

j  Poultices,    their    various  compositions, 
!      manner  of  acting,  and  great  use,  463. 
j  Powders,  comparison  between  them  and 
balls,  464. 

Pressure  on  the  brain,  effect  of,  69. 

Prick,  in  the  toot,  treatment  of,  324  ;  in- 
jurious method  of  removing  the  horn 
in  searching  for,  326. 

Pulse,  the  natural  standard  of  the,  158  ; 
varieties  of  the,  ib.  ;  importance  of  at- 
tention to  the,  ib. ;  the  most  conveni- 
ent place  to  feel  it,  ib. ;  the  finger  on 
the  pulse  during  the  bleeding,  159. 

Pumiced  feet,  description  and  treatment 
of,  305  ;  do  not  admit  of  cure,  306 ; 
constitute  unsoundness,  427. 

Pupil  of  the  eye,  des.iription  of  the,  64, 
the  mode  of  discovering  blindness  in 
it,  ib. 

Purchase,  to  complete  the,  there  must  be 
a  memorandum,  or  payment  of  some 
sum,  however  small.  431. 

Purging,  violent,  treavcaent  of,  222,  223. 

Quarters  of  the  hone,  description  of 
the,  272  ;  importance-  of  their  muscu-, 
larity  and  depth,  ib. ,  foot,  description 
of,  293  ;  the  inner,  cr  ast  thinner  and 
weaker  at,  295  ;  foUj  of  lowering  the 
crust,  ib. 

duidding  the  food,  ca^se  of,  381  ;  un- 
soundness while  it  lasts,  427. 

duinine,  the  sulphate  of,  443. 

Cluittor,  the  nature  and  treatment  of, 
321  ;  the  treatment  of'te^J  long  and  dif 
ficult,  exercising  the  patience  both  of 
the  practitioner  and  owner.  322,  323  ; 
is  unsoundness,  428. 

Rabies,  symptoms  of,  76. 

Race-horse,  English,  pedigree  of,  17 ; 
excels  the  Arabian,  18 ;  form  of,  19  j 
examples  of,  19,  20.  21. 

Racers  may  beget  trotters,  40. 

Racks,  no  openings  should  be  allowed 
above  them,  386. 

Radius,  description  of  the,  252. 

Ragged-hipped,  what,  272 ;  no  impedi- 
ment to  action,  ib 


480 


INDEX. 


Raking,  the  operation  of,  465. 

bearing,  a  dangerous  and  inveterate 
habit.  375. 

Rdcruit,  beat  the  best  Arabian  in  India, 
18. 

Recti  muscles,  of  the  neck,  description 
of,  138;  of  thetliigh,  273. 

Rectum,  description  of  the,  211,  212. 

Reins,  description  of  the  proper,  118. 
esin,  its  use   in  veterinary    practice, 
464. 

Respiratory  nerves,  the,  57. 

Restiveness,  a  bad  habit,  and  never 
cured,  370. 

Retina,  description  of  the,  66. 

Retractor  muscle  of  the  eye,  description 
of  it,  67. 

Rheumatism,  85. 

Ribbed-home,  advantage  of  being,  148. 

Ribs,  anatomy  of  tlie,  146. 

Ring-bone,  the  nature  and  treatment  of, 
268,  269 ;  constitutes  unsoundness, 
428. 

Roach-backed,  what,  150. 

Roan  horses,  account  of,  412. 

Roaring,  the  nature  of,  172,  198  ;  curi- 
ous history  of,  173 ;  constitutes  un- 
soundness, 423 ;  from  tight  reining, 
173  ;  from  buckling  in  crib-biting,  ib. ; 
treatment  of,  174. 

Rolling,  danger  of,  and  remedy  for,  381. 

Roman  nose  in  the  horse,  what,  99. 

Round-bone,  the,  can  scarcely  be  dislo- 
cated, 275. 

Rowels,  manner  of  inserting,  and  their 
operation,  464  ;  comparison  between 
them,  blisters,  and  setous,  366. 

Running  away,  method  of  restraining, 
375. 

Rupture,  treatment  of,  227  ;  of  the  sus- 
pensory ligament,  265. 

Rye-grass,  considered  as  an  article  of 
food,  400. 

Saddles,  the  proper  construction  of, 
151  ;  points  of,  ib. 

Saddle-backed,  what,  150 ;  galls,  treat- 
ment of,  152. 

Saddling  of  the  colt,  243. 

Sainfoin  used  as  an  article  of  food,  400. 

Sal  ammoniac,  the  medical  use  of,  441. 

Saliva,  its  nature  and  use,  132. 

Salivary  glands,  description  of  the, 
132. 

Sallenders,  nature  and  treatment  of, 
286. 

Salt,  use  of  in  veterinary  practice.  465 ; 
value  of,  mingled  in  the  food  of  ani- 
mals, 399. 

Sampson,  18. 

Sandal,  Mr.  Percivall's,  356. 

Sandcrack,  the  situation  of  270 ;  the  na- 
ture and  treatment  of  317,  318  ;  most 
dangerous  when  proceeding  from 
tread,  318 ;    liable    to  return,   unless 


the  brittleness  of  the  hoof  is  remedied, 
ib.  ;  con.stitutes  unsoundness,  428. 

Sartorius  muscle,  description  of  the,  273 

Scapula,  description  of  the,  246. 

Sclerotica,  description  of  the,  62. 

Scouring,  general  treatment  of  218,  219 

Secale  cornutum,  the  effect  of,  465. 

Sedatives,  a  list  of  them,  and  their  mode 
of  action,  465. 

Serratus  major  muscle,  description  of 
the,  250. 

Sessamoid  bones,  admirable  use  of  in 
obviating  concussion,  366  ;  fracture  of, 
264,  340^ 

Setons,  mode  of  introducing,  366;  cases 
in  which  they  are  indicated,  ib.  ;  com- 
parison between  them  and  rowels  and 
blisters,  ib. 

Shank-hone,  the,  256. 

Shoe,  the  concave-seated,  cut  of  34t 
described  and  recommended,  ib.  ;  tht 
manner  in  which  the  old  one  should 
be  taken  oft"  343  ;  the  putting  on  of 
the  shoe.  345  ;  it  should  be  fitted  to 
the  foot,  and  not  the  foot  to  the  shoe, 
ib.  ;  description  of  the  hinder,  347; 
the  unilateral,  or  one  side  nailed  shoe, 
350 ;  the  bar  shoe.  352 ;  the  tip,  ib.  ; 
the  hunting,  351  ;  the  jointed,  or  ex- 
pansion, 353. 

Shoeing  not  necessarily  productive  of 
contraction.  309  ;  preparation  of  the 
foot  for,  343  ;  the  principles  of  344. 

Shoulder,  anatomical  description  of  the, 
246  ;  slanting  direction  of  the,  advan- 
tageous, 247,  248  ;  when  it  should  be 
oblique,  and  when  upright,  249  ; 
sprain  of  the,  246  ;  lameness,  method 
of  ascertaining,  ib. ;  fracture  of  the, 
338. 

Shoulder-blade,  muscles  of  the,  ^6  ; 
lower  bone  of  the,  description  of, 
252  ;  muscles  of  the,  252,  253. 

Shying,  the  probable  cause  of  66,  381 ; 
treatment  of  382  ;  on  coming  out  of 
the  stable,  description  of  383. 

Side-line,  description  of  the,  359. 

Sight,  the  acute  sense  of  in  the  horse, 
59. 

Silver,  the  nitrate  of  an  excellent  caus- 
tic, 442. 

Singeing,  recommendation  of  407. 

Sinuses  in  the  toot,  necessity  of  follow- 
ing them  as  far  as  they  reach,  328 
frontal,  of  the  head,  49. 

Sitfasts,  treatment  of,  151. 

Skeleton  of  the  horse,  description  of  the, 
45. 

Skin,  anatomical  description  of  the, 
405 ;  functions  and  u.ses  of  it,  405, 
406 ;  pores  of  it,  409  ;  when  the  au> 
imal  is  in  health,  is  soft  and  elastic,  403 

Skull,  anatomical  description  of  the,  47 
arched  form  of  the   roof,  55  ;  fracture 
of  the,  68,  335. 


481 


Slipping  the  halter,  remedy  for,  383. 

Smell,  tlie  sense  and  seat  of,  101  ;  very 
acute  in  the  horse,  ib. 

Snap,  2. 

Soap,  its  use  in  veterinary  practice,  466. 

Soda,  chloride  of,  its  use  in  ulcers,  465  ; 
sulphate  of,  ib. 

Sole,  the  horny,  description  of,  297  ; 
descent  of,  298  ;  proper  form  of,  ib.  ; 
management  of,  in  shoeing,  ib. ;  the 
sensible,  298  ;  felt  or  leather,  their  use. 
353. 

Bore-throat,  symptoms  and  treatment 
of,  171. 

Soundness,  consists   in  there  being  no 
disease  or  alteration  of  structure  that  I 
does  or  is  likely  to  impair  the  useful-  j 
ness   of   the   horse,   420 ;    considered  i 
with  reference  to  the  principal  causes 
of  unsoundness,  421. 

Spasmodic  colic,  nature  and  ti-eatment 
of,  215. 

Spavin,  blood,  the  nature  and  treatment  | 
of,  165  ;    is    unsoundness,    428  ;   bog,  j 
I     cause,  nature  and  treatment  of,  164,  j 
165,  281  ;  bone,  283  ;  why  not  always 
accompanied  by  lameness,  ib.  ;  is  un- 
soundaess,  428. 

Spavined  horses,  the  kind  of  work  they 
are  capable  of,  284. 

Speedy-cut,  account  of,  257. 

Sphenoid  bone,  description  of  the,  55. 

Spine,  description  of  the,  145,  146  ; 
fracture  of,  336. 

Spleen,  description  of  the,  213,  230. 

Splenius  muscle,  description  of  the, 
138. 

Splint,  nature  and  treatraenF  of,  256, 
270  ;  wdien  constituting  unsoundness, 
429  ;  bones,  description  of  the,  256. 

Sprain  of  the  back  sinews,  treatment  of 
258,  270  ;  sometimes  requires  firing, 
260  ;  any  remaining  thickening  consti- 
tutes unsoundness,  429  ;  sprain  of  the 
shoulder,  246. 

Stables,  dark,  an  occasional  cause  of  in- 
flammation of  the  eye,  95  ;  hot  and 
foul,  a  frequent  one  of  inflammation 
of  the  eye,  ib.  ;  ditto,  lungs,  385 ; 
ditto,  glanders,  112,  113  ;  should  be 
large,  compared  with  the  number  of 
horses,  ib.  ;  the  management  of,  too 
much  neglected  by  the  owner  of  the 
horse,  ib.  ;  the  ceiling  of  should  be 
pla.-stered,  if  there  is  a  loft  above,  ib. ; 
should  be  so  contrived  that  the  urine 
will  run  off,  388 ;  the  stalls  should 
not  have  too  much  declivity,  ib.  ; 
should  be  sufficiently  light,  yet  with- 
out any  glaring  color,  388,  389. 

Staggers,  stomach,  symptoms,  cause,  and 
treatment  of  70,  71,  401  ;  generally 
fatal,  71  ;  producing  blindness,  73  ; 
sometimes  epidemic,  ib.  ;  mad,  symp- 
toms and  treatment,  74.       qi 


Staling,  profuse,  cause  and  treatment  of, 
233. 

Stallion,  description  of  the  proper,  foi 
breeding,  237. 

Starch,  useful  in  superpurgation,  466. 

Stargazer,  the,  139. 

Sternum,  or  breast-bone,  description  of 
the,  147,  251. 

Stifle,  description  of  the,  275  ;  accidents 
and  diseases  of  the,  ib. 

Stomach,  description  of  the,  206,  207 ; 
very  small  in  the  horse,  207  ;  inflam- 
mation of  the,  207,  208  ;  pump  recom- 
mended in  apoplexy,  72. 

Stone  in  the  bladder,  symptoms  and 
♦^r^atment  of,  235  ;  kidney,  ib. 

Stoppings,  the  best  composition  of,  and 
their  great  use,  466. 

Strangles,  symptoms  and  treatment  of, 
133  ;  distinguished  from  glanders, 
109  ;  the  importance  of  blistering 
early  in,  134. 

Strangury,  produced  by  blistering,  363  ; 
treatment  of,  364. 

Strawberry  horse,  account  of  the,  412 

Stringhalt,  nature  of,  83 ;  is  decidedly 
unsoundness,  83,  429. 

Structure  of  the  horse,  importance  of  a 
knowledi^e  of,  46. 

Strychnia,  account  of,  467. 

Styio-maxillaris  muscle,  description  of 
the,  102. 

Sublingual  gland,  description  of  the, 
133. 

Submaxillary  glands,  description  of  the, 
133  ;  artery,  description  of  the,  103. 

Sub-scapulo  hyoideus  muscle,  descrip- 
tion of  the,  103. 

Sugar  of  lead,  use  of,  459. 

Sulphate  of  copper,  use  of  in  veteri- 
nary practice,  449  ;  ii'on,  454  ;  mag- 
nesia, 460  ;  zinc,  468. 

Sulphur,  an  excellent  alterative  and  in- 
gredient in  all  applications  for  mange, 
467. 

Surfeit,  description  and  treatment  of, 
415  ;  importance  of  bleeding  in,  416. 

Suspensory  ligament,  beautiful  mechan- 
ism of  the,  265  ;  rupture  of  the,  ib. ; 
suspensory  muscle  of  the  eye,  descrip- 
tion of  the,  67. 

Swallowing  without  grinding,  377. 

Swelled  legs,  cause  and  ti'eatment  of, 
287  ;  most  frequently  connected  with 
debility,  ib. 

Sweetbread,  description  of  the,  213. 

Sympathetic  nerves,  description  of  the, 
'58. 

Tail,  anatomy  of  the,  145  ;  fracture  of 
the,  337  ;  docking,  367  ;  nicking,  368. 

Tar,  its  use  in  veterinary  practice,  467. 

Tares,  a  nutritive  and  healthy  food, 
399. 

Tartar,  cream  of,  463. 


482 


INDEX. 


Tears,  the  secretion  and  nature  of  the,  60. 

Teeth,  description  of  the,  as  connect- 
ed with  age,  121 ;  at  birth,  ih.  ;  2 
months,  ib.  ;  12  months,  122 ;  18 
months,  123  ;  the  front  sometimes 
pushed  out,  that  the  next  pair  may 
sooner  appear,  and  the  horse  seem  to 
be  older  than  he  is,  124  ;  3  years,  ib.  ; 
3k  years,  125  ;  4  years,  ib. ;  4i  yeai-s. 
126 ;  5  years,  ib. ;  6  years,  127 ;  7 
years,  128;  8  years,  ib. ;  change  of 
.ne,  123 ;  enamel  of  the,  122  ;  irregular, 
inconvenience  and  danger  of,  131  ; 
mark  of  the,  122  ;  frauds  practised 
with  regard  to  the,  124,  125  ;  diseases 
of  the,  130. 

Temper  denoted  by  the  eye,  59  ;  by  the 
ear,  58. 

Temperature,  sudden  change  o^  Injuri- 
ous in  its  effect,  385. 

Temporal  bones,  description  of  the,  51. 

Tendons  of  the  leg,  256. 

Tetanus,  symptoms,  causes  and  treat- 
ment of,  79. 

Thick  wind,  nature  and  treatment  of, 
194, 198  ;  often  found  in  round-chested 
horses,  195. 

Thidi  and  haunch  bones,  description  of, 
271,  272;  form  of,  272;  should  be 
long  and  muscular,  ib. ;  description  of 
the  muscles  of  the  inside  of  the  upper 
bone  of,  272,  273  ;  do.  of  the  outside, 
ib. ;  mechanical  calculation  of  their 
power,  273,  274. 

Thorough- pin,  the  nature  and  treatment 
of,  277  ;  is  not  unsoundness,  429. 

Thrush,  nature  and  treatment  of,  328  ; 
the  consequences,  rather  than  the 
cause  of  contraction,  ib.  ;  its  serious 
nature  and  consequences  not  suffi- 
ciently considered,  329  ;  constitutes 
unsoundness,  430. 

Thymus  gland,  the,  153. 

Thyroid  cartilage  of  the  windpipe,  de- 
scription of  the,  143. 

Tibia,  account  of  the,  276,  279  ;  fracture 
of,  339. 

Tied  in  below  the  knee,  nature  and  dis- 
advantage of,  258. 

Tinctures,  account  of  the  best,  467. 

Tips,  description  and  use  of,  352. 

Tobacco,  when  used,  467. 

Toe,  bleeding  at  the,  described,  168. 

Tongue,  anatomy  of  the,  131;  diseases 
of,  132  ;  bladders  along  the  under 
part  of,  ib. 

Tonics,  an  account  of  the  best,  467 ; 
their  use  and  danger  in  veterinary 
practice,  468. 

Torsion,  the  mode  of  castration  by,  245  ; 
forceps,  description  of,  ib. 

Trachea,  or  windpipe,  description  of, 
144;  inflammation  of,  172. 

Tracheotomy,  143;  operation  of,  143, 
144. 


Trapezius  muscle,   description   of  the 

250. 
Trapezium  bone,  description  of  the,  253 
Tread,  nature   and    treatment  of,  319 

often  producing  sandcrack  or  quittor 

ib. 
Tripping,  an   annoying  and   inveterate 

habit,  384. 
Trochanter  of  the  thigh,  description  of 

the,  272. 
Trochlearis  muscle,  the,  67. 
Trotter,  American,  cut  of,  41 ;  pedigrees 

of,  40,  41  ;  superiority  to  the  English, 

41,  42 ;  reasons  for,  42,  43. 
Turbinated   bones,   description   of  the, 

101. 
Turpentine,  the   best   diuretic,   468 ;    a 

useful  ingredient  in  many  ointments, 

ib. 
Tushes,  descriptioii  of  the,  125 — 127. 
Twitch,  description  of  the,  360. 

Ulceks  in  the  mouth,  treatment  of,  131. 

Ulna,  description  of  the,  252. 

Ungulata,  a  tribe  of  animals,  44. 

Unilateral  shoe,  349. 

Unsoundness,  contraction  does  not  al- 
ways cause  it,  307  ;  being  discovered, 
the  animal  should  be  tendered,  431 ; 
ditto,  but  the  tender  or  return  not  le- 
gally necessary,  ib. ;  the  horse  may 
be  returned  and  action  bi-ought  for 
depreciation  in  value,  but  this  not  ad- 
visable, 432  ;  medical  means  may  be 
adopted  to  cure  the  horse,  they  are, 
however,  better  declined,  lest  in  an 
unfortunate  issue  of  the  case  they 
should  be  misrepresented,  431. 

Unsteadiness  whilst  mounting,  remedy 
for,  374. 

Urine,  albuminous,  234  ;  bloody,  233. 

Vastus  muscle,  description  of  the,  273. 
Vein.s,  description  of  the,   164  ;  of  the 

arm,  de.'scription,  cScc,  250  ;  of  the  neck, 

ditto,  140;  of  the  face,  ditto,  102;  of 

the  shoulder,  ditto,  250 ;  inflammation 

of  the,  treatment  of,  141. 
Vena  portarum,  the,  213. 
Verdigris,  an  uncertain  medicine,  when 

given  internally,  449  ;  a  mild -caustic, 

ib. 
Vermin,  account  of,  419. 
Vertebrae,  the  dorsal  and  lumbar,  145. 
Vertebrated  animal,  the  horse  a,  44. 
Vices  of  hor.ses,  account  of  the,  370. 
Vicious  to  clean,  a  bad  habit  that  should 

be   conquered,    375 ;   to   shoe,  a  bad 

habit   that   may  also    be    conquered, 

376. 
Vinegar,  its  use  in  veterinary  practice, 

436. 
Vines,  Mr.,  his  use  of  the  Spanish  fly  ia 

glanders,  445, 
Vision,  theory  of,  63. 


INDEX. 


483 


Vitreous  humor  of  the  eye,  acrount  of 
the,  05. 

Vitriol,  bhxe,  use  of,  in  veterinary  prac- 
tice, 449. 

Wall-eyed  horses,  what,  64;  whether 
they  become  blind,  ib. 

Warbles,  treatment  of,  152. 

Warranty,  the  form  of  a,  430 ;  breach 
of,  how  established,  ib. ;  no  price  w^ill 
imply  it,  431  ;  when  there  is  none, 
the  action  must  be  brought  on  the 
p^round  of  fraud,  ib. 

Warts,  method  of  getting  rid  of,  419. 

Washing  of  the  heels,  productive  of 
a:rease,  291. 

VV^ashy  horses,  description  and  treat- 
ment of,  223. 

Water,  generally  given  too  sparingly, 
402  ;  management  of  on  a  journey,  403  ; 
the  difference  in  effect,  between  hard 
and  soft,  402  ;  spring,  principally  in- 
jurious on  account  of  its  coldness,  ib. ; 
stomach  of  the  horse,  the,  212. 

Water  farcy,  nature  and  treatment  of, 
116. 

Wax  used  in  charges  and  plasters,  468. 

Weakness  of  the  foot,  what,  331. 

Weaving  indicating  an  iiTitable  temper, 
and  no  cure  for  it,  384. 

Wheat,  considered  as  food  for  the  horse, 
397  ;  inconvenience  and  danger  of  it, 
3Qh. 


Whcezer,  description  of  the,  198  ;  is  un- 
sound, 423. 

Whistler,  description  of  the,  398 ;  is  un 
sound,  423. 

White  lead,  use  of,  459  ;  vitriol,  its  use 
in  veterinary  practice,  4G9. 

Wind,  broken,  nature  and  trealmcMit  of 
196  ;  galls,  description  and  treatincDt 
of,  261,  268  ;  ditto,  unsoundness  when 
they  cause  lameness,  or  are  likely  to 
do  so,  430 ;  thick,  nature  and  treat 
ment  of,  194. 

Windpipe,  description  of  the,  143  , 
should  be  prominent  and  loose,  ib. 

Wind-sucking,  nature  of,  and  remedy 
.for,  380. 

Withers,  description  of  the,  150  ;  high, 
advantage  of,  ib. ;  fistulous,  treatment 
of,  151. 

Worms,  different  kinds,  and  treatment 
of,  227. 

Wounds  in  the   feet,  treatment  of,  324. 

Yellows,  symptoms  and  treatment  of 
the,  229. 

Zinc,  its  use  in  medicine,  468. 
Zoological  classification  of    the   horse 

44. 
Zygomatic  arch,  reason  of  the  strong 

construction  of  the,  52. 
Zygomaticus  muscle,  description  or«K« 


THS    END. 


Gentle  Dora !  !-Dashing  Maggie ! ! ! 


MRS.  MARY  J.  HOLMES'  IS^EW  STORIES, 

DORA  DEANE  and  MAGGIE  MILLER 

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There  is  an  air  of  truthfulness  in  her  common-^ense  style,  an  absence  of  exaggeration 
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The  incidents  in  both  these  stories  are  such  as  pertain  to  dally  experience,  and  on 
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These  stories  are  told  in  her  best  manner.  "  Maggie  Miller"  will  be  found  particu- 
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excelled. —  Troy  Times. 

The  two  stories  in  the  work  before  us  are  among  the  most  entertaining  the  talented 
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est  and  Sunshine,'"  "The  English  Orphans," 
on  the  nUlside,"  etc.  etc. 

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Author  of  "Tempest  and  Sunshine,"'  "The  English  Orphans,"  "The  Homestead 

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As  the  social  and  domestic  relations  are  the  great  sources  of  happi- 
ess,  or  its  opposites,  so  those  romances  that  properly  treat  of  those  re- 
lations— of  the  virtues  that  adorn,  and  of  the  vices  that  deform  them 
—are  clearly  the  most  interesting,  impressive,  and  useful. 

'LEjVA  rivers  is  an  American  Domestic  Story,  unveiling  in  a  mas- 
terly manner  the  sources  of  social  and  domestic  enjoyment,  or  of  dis- 
quiet and  misery.  By  intermarriages  of  New  England  and  Kentucky 
parties,  a  field  is  opened  to  exhibit  both  Yankee  and  Southern  domestic  life, 
for  which  the  talented  authoress  was  well  prepared,  being  of  Yankee 
birth  and  early  education,  and  having  subsequently  resided  in  the  South. 
She  was  thus  especially  fitted  to  daguerreotype  the  strictly  domestic 
and  social  peculiarities  of  both  sections. 

'LENA   RIVERS  AND  THE  PRESS. 

A  work  of  unusual  promise.  Mrs.  Holmes  possesses  an  enviable  talent  in  the  study  of 
American  character,  which  is  so  perfectly  developed  by  acute  observation  from  life,  that 
it  would  now  be  impossible  for  her  to  write  an  uninteresting  book. — PIdla.  Sat.  BuUetin. 

There  still  lingers  the  artist-mind,  enlivening,  cheering,  and  consoling  by  happy 
thoughts  and  pleasant  words;  moving  the  heart  alternately  to  joy  or  sorrow,  convulsing 
with  laughter,  or  bringing  tears  to  the  eyes. — liodieater  American. 

The  characters  are  well  drawn,  and  the  tale  is  one  of  interest     It  will  find  many  well 
pleased  readers. — Albany  Statesman. 
The  story  is  simple,  natural,  truthful. — Rochester  Daily  Advertiser. 

Before  we  were  aware,  we  had  road  the  first  two  chapters.  We  read  on — and  an — and 
it  was  long  after  midnight  when  we  finished  the  volume.  We  could  not  leave  it  We 
know  of  no  work  with  which  we  could  compare  "  'Lena  Kivers  " — so  as  to  form  a  just 
estimation  of  its  merits. — MerrickciUe  Chroyiicle. 
It  is  not  the  first  of  the  author's  works,  but  it  Is  the  he&t— State  Register. 
To  the  sex  wo  commend  it,  on  the  assurance  of  its  merit  volunteered  to  us  by  ladies 
111  whose  critical  acumen  we  have  the  fullest  confidence. — Buffalo  Express. 

The  story  opens  in  New  England,  and  is  continued  in  Kentucky,  with  very  lively  and 
characteristic  sketches  of  scenery  and  character  in  both  States.  It  is  both  good  and  in- 
teresting.— New  York  Daily  Times. 

The  moral  of  the  plot  is  excellent  Cowardly  virtue,  as  exhibited  by  'Lena's  father, 
may  here  learn  a  lesson  without  sutfering  his  bitter  experience ;  while  the  rashness  of 
youth  may  be  warned  against  desperate  acts,  before  a  perfect  understanding  is  had.— A^sza 
Bedford  Express. 

This  is  an  American  novel  possessing  merit  far  superior  to  many  which  have  been 
Dublished  during  the  last  two  years.  The  delineations  of  character  are  neatly  and  accu 
rately  drawn,  and  the  tale  is  a  deeply  interesting  one,  containing  many  and  varied  inci 
ients,  illustrative  of  the  workings  of  the  human  mind,  and  of  social  and  domestic  life  ir 
iifferent  parts  of  this  country.  The  lesson  to  be  deduced  from  its  pages  is  a  profitable 
)n.e^which  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  many  novels  of  the  day. — Portfolio. 

The  scene  of  this  tale  is  in  Kentucky,  although  Now  England  figures  in  it  somewhat 
ind  New  Englanders  still  more  largely.  It  is  written  in  a  lively  style,  and  the  inte^cot 
8  not  allowed  to  flag  till  the  story  terminates.  One  ot  the  best  things  in  the  book  ,s  its 
Bly  and  admirable  hits  at  American  aristocracy.  It  quietly  shows  some  of  '-the  plebeian 
'ocation,"  which  have,  early  or  late,  been  connected  with  the  "first  families,"  an^  gives 
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OPINIONS  OF  THE  PRESS. 

No  admirer  of  Mrs.  ITolmos'  writinffs  will  thank  us  for  a  "  critical"  opinion  of  this, 
Ler  latest  and  best  work.  The  time  for  such  a  thinp:  has  gone  by.  But  surely  they  will 
pardon  us  if  we  dwell  lingoringly  and  lovingly  over  one  or  two  of  her"cl)aracters: — the 
angel-like  Jessie,  the  rightly-nained  Angel"  of  the  Pines,  who,  though  a  child,  went 
about  like  a  ministering  an<rel,  when  all  others  had  lleil  the  pestilence  that  walked  at 
noonday,  and  at  last  fell  before  its  withering  stroke.  Surely,  if  a  tear  falls  here.,  it  falls 
in  the  right  place.  Aiul  then  Eosa:— llosa  at  thirteen  the  schoolmistress  and  in  love. 
One  year  after,  llosa  the  governess  was  again  in  love.  II(nv  we  are  interested  in  the 
tangled  web  of  her  life-experience,  and  how  we  rejoice  when  at  last  the  orange-flowers 
crown  her  brow,  and  the  storm-tossed  barcpie  reaches  the  sure  haven  of  repose: 
"The  blessinir  given,  the  ring  is  on; 

And  at  God's  altar  radiant  run 

The  currents  of  two  lives  in  one." 
Ada,  the  deceiving,  merits  our  scorn  ;  Ada,  the  dissipated,  somewhat  of  our  pity.    Dr. 
Clayton  we  despise  for  his  fickleness,  honor  for  his  after-manliness,  and  congratulate  for 
his  eventual  happiness. — National  American. 

We  have  read  this  book  with  no  little  satisfaction,  for  it  has  a  reality  about  it  that 
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earlier  chapters  are  drawn  from  life  in  the  country  portions  of  that  region,  and  those 
immediately  following  are  laid  in  Boston.  We  do  not  mean  to  intimate  that  the  book 
is  carelessly  written,  but  that  it  is  "the  touch  of  nature  that  makes  all  men  kin"'  that  is 
Its  es[)eciai  charm.  It  does  not  read  like  a  romance,  but  like  a  calm  narration  by  some 
friend  of  events  occurring  in  a  circle  of  one's  old  friends,  and  the  intense  interest  with 
which  we  follow  the  narrative  seems  to  be  rather  from  personal  feeling  than  from  the 
osuaI  false  excitement  of  the  overstrained  sentimentalities  of  most  of  the  modern  works 
of  fiction  which  "read  like  a  book."— iViewtfrA*  Advertiser.^ 

Our  friends  in  the  novel-reading  line  will  gladly  hail  a  new  work  called  "  Meadow 
Brook,"  by  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Holmes,  author  of  "Tempest  and  Sunshine."  and  several  other 
well-known  and  ]>opular  works.  "  Meadow  Brook"  is  an  exceedingl 3' attractive  book, 
and  one  that  will  alternately  call  forth  smiles  and  tears.  The  chapters  delineating  the 
life  of  the  youthful  '■  school-ma'am,"  and  her  experience  in  "boarding  round,"  may  be 
termed  "rich"  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  We  doubt  if  their  equal  can  be  met  with  in 
any  of  the  novels  of  the  present  day.  The  after-life  of  Eosa  Lee,  the  heroine  of  Meadow 
Brook,  will  be  found  to  be  of  equal,  if  not  of  supt-rior  interest  to  the  earlier  part,  so 
grai)hically  delineated  in  the  first  half-dozen  chapters. — Providence  Journal. 

Many  of  her  characters  might  be.  if  they  are  not,  drawn  from  life.  We  liave  met  a 
little  Jessie  whose  bright,  sweet  face,  winning  ways,  and  sunny,  happy  temper,  made 
her  a  favorite  with  alTwho  knew  her.  Jessie  Lansing  vividly  recalls  our  little  Je.ssio, 
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draws  her  pictures  from  the  deep  welling  fountain  of  her  own  heart  and  life,  reaching 
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ever she  appears. — Binghamtnn  Republican. 

"Meadow  Brook"  is  a  plain  story  of  American  life  and  American  people,  with  capital 
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T  II  E 

HOMESTEAD  ON  THE  HILLSIDE, 

BY    MRS.    MARY   J.   HOLMES, 

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IML  One  Volume,  380  Pages,  12iuo.    Price  %1  00. 

The  numerous  and  delighted  readers  of  "Tempest  and  Sunshine"  and  "The  En- 
glish Orphans  " — Mrs.  Holmes' former  works — will  be  pleased  to  learn  that  another 
work  of  their  favorite  author  is  again  within  their  reach.  That  this  work  will  be  ea- 
gerly sought  and  widely  read,  her  former  brilliant  success  aifords  the  surest  guaranty. 

Mrs.  Holmes  is  a  peculiarly  pleasant  and  fascinating  writer.  Her  subjects  are  the  home 
and  family  relations.  She  has  the  happy  faculty  of  enlisting  the  sympathies  and  affec- 
tions of  her  readers  and  of  holding  their  attention  to  her  pages,  with  deep  and  absorbing 
interest.  Tlie  Hoiiiesteatl  on  llie  Millside  is,  therefore,  attracting  the 
liveliest  attention ;  and  readers  and 

REVIEWERS  ARE    DECIDED  IN  ITS  PRAISE. 

Any  one  taking  up  the  book  must  take  a  "through  ticket,"  as  there  is  no  stopping 
place  "this  side"  of  the  last  page.  The  arts  of  the  designing  woman  are  given  in  their 
true  color,  showing  to  what  oily-tongued  hypocrisy  humanity  will  stoop  for  the  further- 
ance of  its  purposes  ;  what  a  vast  amount  of  unhappiness  one  individual  may  bring  up- 
on an  otherwise  happy  family;  what  untold  misery  may  result  from  the  groveling  spirit 
of  fancied  revenge,  when  cherished  in  the  bosom  of  its  unhappy  possessor.— ^/-ocAj^ori 
Gasette. 

The  talented  author  of  "Tempest  and  Sunshine"  has  again  hit  on  a  happy  subject. 
^The  Homestead  on  the  Hillside  "  has  afforded  her  ample  scope  for  the  exercise  of  those 
high  descriptive  powei's  and  those  striking  portraitures  of  character  which  have  ren- 
dered her  former  works  such  general  favorites.  In  one  word,  the  book  before  us  is  no 
ordinary  production.— P7ii^ac?ei!p/aa  Daili/  Neios. 

Vigor,  variety,  a  boldness  and  freedom  of  style  and  expression,  eccentricity  alike  of 
character  and  incident,  are  among  its  most  striking  peculiarities.  She  has  improved,  in 
the  book  before  us,  upon  her  flrst  effort,  and  several  of  these  tales  will  not  fail  to  add  to 
her  already  well  established  reputation  as  a  vigorous  and  attractive  writer. — Bost.  Atlas. 

The  artfulness  and  resignation  exhibited  by  the  "Widow  Carter,  in  her  modest  but  not 
unnatural  endeavors  to  gain  the  tender  regard  of  Mr.  Hamilton,  as  she  smoothed  the  pil- 
low of  his  dying  wife,  de'serve  the  especial  attention  of  gentlemen  liable  to  a  like  attempt 
from  a  similar  cause.  They  will  doubtless  see  a  dozen  widows  in  the  very  dress  and  po- 
sition of  the  philanthropic  Mrs.  Carter.  There  is  quite  a  moral  for  young  Misses,  too,  in 
the  book."— A^.  Y.  Dutchman. 

It  cannot  fail  to  please  the  lovers  of  flowing  and  graceful  narrative.— TVi&ime. 

It  will  be  superfluous  to  say  that  ISIrs.  Holmes  is  a  charming  writer.— 2>wa  Flag. 

Its  genial  spirit,  its  readv  wit,  its  kindly  feeling,  will  doubtless  meet  with  due  appreci- 
ation from  all  its  readers,  'it  touches  with  ready  sympathy  the  fountains  of  mirth  and 
tears,  and  one  can  neither  restrain  the  one  nor  withhold  the  other,  in  reading  its  tales  of 
joy  and  sorrow. — Broome  Bepub. 

"We  have  perused  this  book  with  none  but  feelings  of  pleasure ;  and  we  have  closed  ita 
pages,  bearing  in  our  heart  its  sweet  spirit  and  eloquent  moral.  "We  heartily  commend 
x'i.— Lock  port  Courier. 

Her  portrayal  of  human  character  and  actions  are  admirable;  her  style  is  fluent  and 
fascinating,  and  a  most  intense  degree  of  interest  is  kept  up  throughout  the  volume. 
But  among  all  it3  excellent  qualities^  most  prominent  appears  its  eloquent  morals.  P.ead 
It,  so  ftiat'you  can  have  it  to  say,  ^  I  once  kead  a  good  booil.'"— Lock  port  Democrat 

Sold  by  all  Booksellers.  Single  copies  sent  by  mail,  postpaid,  upon 
receipt  of  tbe  price. 

C.  M.  SAX'i'ON,   BARKEK  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

25  Pa/rk  Bow,  N&uo  York. 


LOUIS  NAPOLEON, 

AND    THE 
COMPRISIxVa   A 

HISTORY  OF  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION, 
THE  CAREER  OF  NAPOLEON,  THE   RESTORATION   OF  THE  B0I7B- 
BONS,  THE  REIGN  OF  LOUIS  PHILLIPPE,  THE  LIFE  AND  CA- 
REER OF  LOUIS  NAPOLEON,  AND  THE  CAUSES,  EVENTS, 
AND   CONSEQUENCES    OF   THE   CRIMEAN   WAR. 

BY  HENRY  W.  DE  PUY, 

ATTTHOB  OF  "  KOSSUTH  AND  HIS  GENEEAL8,"  "  ETHAN  ALLEU,"  ETC. 

One  Yolume,  457  pp.  12mo.,  with  Steel  Portraits  of  Louis 
Napoleon  and  the  Empress  Eugenie.     Price  $1  25. 


The  foregoing  is  an  interesting  and  a  reliable  history  of  the  Bona- 
parte family,  from  the  dawn  of  its  celebrity  to  the  present  time.  It 
contains  a  biography,  not  only  of  Napoleon  L,  Napoleon  III.,  and  of  the 
other  members  and  branches  of  that  distinguished  family,  but  also  of 
other  prominent  actors  in  French  affairs,  with  such  a  sketch  of  French 
history  as  is  necessary  to  the  proper  connection  and  clear  understand- 
ing of  the  work. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  REVIEWERS. 

The  Bonaparte  family  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  that  has  ever  appeared  on  the 
earth.  Its  origin  T\'as  so  humble,  its  elevation  so  rapid  and  dazzling,  its  power  so  great, 
its  fall  so  signal  and  low,  its  re-appearance  in  the  person  of  Louis~ Napoleon  so  unex- 
pected and  potent,  and  its  future  so  portentous,  that  it  at  once  arrests  the  attention  of 
the  modern  historian,  and  audaciously  takes  its  place  In  the  very  foreground  of  his 
canvjis. 

We  are  not  aware  that  any  author  has  before  attempted  to  present  the  entire  Bona- 
parte family  in  one  concise,  yet  clear  and  satisfactory  volume.  It  is  a  work  long  needed, 
and  for  which  every  intelligent  person  constantly  feels  a  pressing  necessity.  Hence  we 
heartily  welcome  the  work  before  us.  Its  method  is  excellent,  its  breadth  and  grasp 
very  remarkable,  and  the  style  lucid  and  brilliant.  The  engravings  are  superior,  and 
type,  paper,  and  binding  excellent. — Taunton  Demoevat.  » 

An  interesting  and  instructive  volume.  The  author  has  given  a  graphic  description 
of  the  career  of  the  great  Napoleon,  free  from  that  excessive  flattery  which  distisguishes 
the  work  of  Abbott ;  and  the  scarcely  less  brilliant  career  of  Louis  Napoleon  is  set  forth 
with  admirable  succinctness  and  truthfulness.  The  work  comprises  the  history  of 
France,  and  in  fact  of  Europe,  from  the  revolution  of 'S9  to  the  present  time,  of  which 
the  misfortunes  and  successes  of  Louis  Philippe  fi>rm  a  most  interesting  chapter.  The 
biographical  notices  of  the  most  distinguished  characters  that  participated  in  public  af- 
fairs during  that  period,  is  also  a  valuable  feature  of  the  work. — Dem.  Expounder. 

The  style  of  the  author  is  popular  and  attractive,  and  his  book  blends  the  interest  of 
history  with  that  of  biography.  Portraits  of  the  present  Emperor  and  of  the  Empress 
Eugenie,  finely  engraved,  adorn  the  volume,  which  is  handsomely  issued  in  all  respects. 
— BoHton  Telegraph. 

The  notices  of  the  various  members  of  the  Bonaparte  family  are  written  with  clear- 
ness, as  are  also  the  sketches  of  Louis  XVIII.,  Charles  X.,  Louis  Philippe,  Theirs,  La- 
martine,  Guizot,  Abdel-Kader,  and  numerous  others  whose  names  are  familiar  with 
French  movements  during  the  present  century.  The  outline  of  the  liussian  War  is 
lmj)artially  given,  a  commendation  which  may  be  generally  accorded  to  the  entire  vol- 
nme. — Thomas  Francis  Mka';her. 

Sold  by  all  Booksellers.    Mailed,  post-paid,  to  any  address,  upon  receipt  of  price. 

C.  M.  SAXTOT.',    BAKKEH  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

25  Pivrk  Reyin,  New  York. 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    AGE. 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  LIFETIME, 

OR 

MEN  AND  THINGS  I  HAVE  SEEN  IN  EUROPE  AND  AMEEICA. 
BY  S.  G.  GOODRICH, 

The  veritable  "  Peter  Parley,"  author  of  "  The  History  of  All  Nations,"  &c.  &c. 

In  two  volumes,  1105  pp.  large  12mo.,  25  Original  Engravings,  including 

an  accurate  Steel  Portrait  of  the  Author.     Price,  Black  or  Scarlet 

Cloth,  $3  GO ;  Scarlet  Cloth,  Gilt  Edges,  $4  GO ;  Half  Calf,  Marble 

Edges,  $5  GO ;  Full  Calf,  Gilt  Edges,  $Y  GO. 

This  work  embraces  the  prominent  public  events  of  the  last  half  century,  both  at  horae 
and  abroad;  a  complete  Autobiography  of  the  author— his  early  days,  education,  and  lit- 
erary career;  and  an  amount  of  original  curious,  and  valuable  Personal  Incident,  Anec- 
dote, and  Description,  seldom,  if  ever,  met  with  in  a  single  work.  It  is  the  Author's 
Life-long  Wokk,  and  nothing  superior,  if  anything  equal  to  it,  in  blended  amusement 
and  instruction,  has  ever  been  published.  Mr.  Goodrich  is  the  author  and  editor  of 
ITO  Volumes,  of  which  over  seven  millions  of  copies  have  been  sold!  and 
this,  the  great  work  of  his  life,  embodies  the  condensed  substance  of  his  ample  Literavy 
and  Practical  Evperience ;  the  War  icith  England  in  1812-14,  in  which  Mr.  Goodrich 
was  a  private  soldier;  the  Ilaiiford  Convention,  whose  operations  took  place  under  his 
immediate  observation,  and  with  most  of  the  members  of  which  he  was  personally  ac- 
quainted. Embracing  curious  and  interesting  details  respecting  Old  Jeffernonian  De- 
mocracy, Old  Federalism,  and  Connecticut  Blue  Lights;  curious  and  marvellous 
events  connected  with  the  rise  and  progress  of  Religious  Sects  in  the  United  States; 
with  descriptions  of  the  French  Revolution  o/lS4S,  and  Louis  jS^apoleon's  Coup  d'Etat, 
both  of  which  the  author  witnessed.  Also,  a  full  account  of  the  "  PETER  PARLEY'? 
TALES,"  of  which  Kour  Millions  have  been  sold. 

In  the  course  of  the  work  will  be  found  a  Gallery  of  Pex  axd  Ink  Poetkaits  of 
over  Two  Hundred  Celebrated  P^;'6^o?«s— Presidents,  Vice-Presidents,  Kings,  Queens, 
Emperors,  Soldiers,  Poets,  Wits,  Enthusiasts,  Physicians,  Preachers,  Lawy'ei's,  Politi- 
cians, Diplomatists,  &c.— all  described  from  personal  acquaintance  or  observation — among 
whom  are  the  following: 

George  IV.        Lamartine,        Henry  Clay,     Duke  of  "Wellington,  Benjamin  West, 
William  IV.      Victor  Hugo,     Dan'l  Webster,  Lord  Brougham,        Fenimore  Cooper, 
Prince  Albert,  Alex.  Dumas,    M.  Van  Buren,  Sir  J.  Mackintosh,      Percival, 
Queen  Victoria  Mad.  Catalini,   M.Fillmore,      King  Rhio  Rhio,  or   Brainerd, 
Sir  W.  Scott,      Mad.  Malibran,  J.  C.  Fremont,      Dog  of  Dogs,  Willis, 

Lord  Jeffrey,     Pasta,  General  Scott,  Louis  Phillippe,         Hawthorne, 

J.  G.  Lockhart,  Talma,  Prof  Silliman,  Louis  Napoleon,         Mi-s.  Sigourney, 

W.  BJackwood  Mile.  Mars,        Eli  Whitney,    Thos.  A.  Emmett,     Miss  Sedgwick, 
Hannah  More,  Rachel,  Judge  Kent,      Bishop  Seabury,         Mrs.  Child, 

Dr.  Chalmers,    Ristori,  GeoT  Cabot,       Bishop  Wainwright,  Charles  Sprague, 

Edw.  Irving,      Pope  Pius  IX.   H.  G.  Otis,         Dr.  Mason,  Longfellow, 

Thos.  Hood,       Preset  Monroe,  Jas.  Hillhouse,  Dr.  Romcyn,  Pierpont, 

Louis  XVIII.    J.  Q.  Adams,      Uriah  Tracy,      Archibald  Gracie,      T.  Buchanan  Eoed, 
Charles  X.         Dr.  Dwight,      Nath'l  Smith,    Minot  Sherman,         Jacob  Perkins. 
To  all  which  is  added,  the  Author's  recent 

ANECDOTES   OF   TRAVEL, 

In  England.  Scotland,  Ireland,  France  and  Italy,  together  with  a  Complete  Catalogttj 
OF  TiiK  Aittiior's  Works,  HOW  for  the  first  time  published;  with  curious  commentario-' 
on  the  Counterfeit  Parley  Books,  got  up  in  London. 

SOLD  BY  ALL  BOOKSELLERS. 
Single  Copies  mailed,  POST-PAID,  to  any  address. 
Published  by 

C.  M.  SAXTON",  BARKER  &  CO.,  PubUshers, 

25  Park  Bow,  New  York. 


GREAT  AMERICAN  BIOGRAPHY  I 


WEBSTER 

AND 

HIS  MASTER-PIECES 

fis  fife  aiilr  6xmi  ^prcljts 

BY  B.  F.  TEFFT,  r>.  D.,  LI..  D. 

Steel  Portrait,  Two  Volumes,  1032  pp.  l?wio.    I -ki^jc,  $2  oOt 

THE  LIFE  EMBRACED 

?.  The  Webster  Family.  ;      6.  Webstei  the  Leglditor. 

2.  Webster  the  Boy  and  Youth.  7.  Webster  the  Cit'z.en. 

3.  Weboter  the  Student.  8.  Wehster  the  Rrrator. 
4  Webster  the  Lawyer.  9.  T*  ebcter  the  Orator. 

5.  Webster  in  his  Domestic  Eelations.       '    10.  Webster  the  li'jtecutive  Officer. 

THE  SPEECHES  EMBRACE 


L  Argument  in  the  Dartmouth    College 

Case. 
2.  Plymouth  Oration — ^First  Settlement  of 

'  New  England. 
8.  Speech  on  the  Greek  Eevolution. 

4.  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Oration. 

5.  Funeral  Oration — Adams  and  Jefferson. 

6.  Lecture  before  Mechanic's  Institution, 

Boston. 


7.  The  Character  of  Washington. 

8.  Speech  at  Niblo"s  Garden,  New  York. 

9.  Letter  on  Impressment. 

10.  Eeply  to  Hayue  on  Foot's  Eesolution. 

11,  Constitution  not  a  Compact— Eeply  to 

Calhoun, 
li;.  Constitution  and  the    Union — 7th   of 
Mnrch  Speech. 


We  receive  these  volumes  with  especial  satisfaction.  Dr.  Tefft's  book,  we  doubt  not, 
will  be  a  popular  one.  It  has  that  brilliancy  of  touch  and  that  vivacity  of  style  which 
are  always  popular  with  the  great  body  of  readers.- -5o.s-to?i  Traveler. 

Such  a  life  of  the  great  statesman  was  needed.  There  is  no  other  as  cheap  yet  elegant 
form  in  which  Webster's  great  efforts  are  to  be  found.  They  will  sell  well,  we  doubt  not 
The  more  of  them  there  are  distributed,  the  better  it  is  *or  our  intelligence,  our  political 
virtue  and  the  public  weal. — M.  Y.  Times. 

Dr.  Tefft  has  displayed  much  industry,  versatility  and  discrimination  in  his  biography, 
and  good  taste  in  the  selection  of  Mr.  Webster's  efforts,  and  these  volumes  cannot  but 
meet  with  a  favorable  reception  from  the  public. — Boston  Atlas. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  the  book  will  be  very  generally  sought  and  read  by  an  appre- 
ciating public.  It  must  be  regarded  as  a  valuable  addition  to  the  standard  literary  works 
of  the  times.  The  author  is  exceedingly  happy  in  his  use  of  language.  Tliere  is  nothing 
laborious,  dull  or  dillicult  in  the  perusal;  but  on  the  contrary,  it  possesses  an  affahUi, 
concenial  spirit  which  is  entirely  winning.  We  have  been  peculiarly  interested  with 
the  description  of  Mr.  Webster's  character  contained  in  the  last  chapter  of  the  biography 
The  author  enters  into  the  subject  with  l-is  whole  soul,  delineating  faithfully  tho.se  traits 
peculiar  to  the  man,  expanding  upon  those  qualities  of  mind  which  constituted  his  great- 
ness.    The  work  is  handsomely  got  up,  and  is  ht  to  adorn  any  library.— ^w/u/o  I^ep. 

We  doubt  whether  a  better  biogrxphy  will  ever  meet  the  eyes  of  the  student,  or  en  • 
rich  the  library  of  the  man  of  letters.  The  style  -S  polished,  clear,  and  interesting  in  « 
bigh  degree. — Boston  Eve.  Gazette. 

The  best  life  of  Webster  that  has  ever  appeared— .2«#;< to  Democracy. 

Sold  by  all  Booktxrllers.    Mailed,  post-paid,  to  any  address,  upon  receipt  of  pnee, 
C.  M.  SAXTOW,  BAEKEK  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

25  Park  Row,  New  York. 


LIFE  OF  HENRY  CLAY, 

BY  HORACE  GREELEY  AND  EPES  SARGEANT. 

"  But  there  are  deeds  which  should  not  pass  away, 
And  names  which  should  not  wither." 

One  Volume,  428  pp.  12mo.,  Steel  Portrait,  Muslin,  Price  $1,25 

Wliile  the  youth  of  America  should  imitate  his  noble  qualities,  they 
may  take  courage  from  his  career,  and  note  the  high  proof  it  affords  that,  under  our 
equal  institutions,  tlie  avenues  of  hon  >r  are  open  to  all.  Mr.  Clay  rose  by  the  force  of 
his  own  genius,  unaided  by  power,  ])ationage,  or  wealth.  At  an  age  when  our  young 
men  are  usually  advanced  to  the  higher  scliools  of  learning,  provided  only  with  the  ru- 
diments of  an  English  education,  he  turned  his  steps  to  the  West,  and,  amidst  the  rude 
collisions  of  a  border  life,  matured  a  character  whose  highest  exhibitions  were  destined 
to  mark  eras  in  his  country  s  history.  Beginning  on  tlie  frontiers  of  American  civiliza- 
tion, tlie  orphan  boy,  supported  only  by  the  consciousness  of  his  own  powers,  and  by 
the  confidence  of  the  people,  sunuv^unted  all  the  barriers  of  adverse  fortune,  and  won  a 
glorious  name  in  the  annals  of  his  country.  Let  the  generous  youth,  fired  with  honora- 
ble ambition,  remember  that  the  American  system  of  government  offers  on  every  hand 
bounties  to  merit.  If,  like  Clay,  orphanage,  obscurity,  ]ioverty,  shall  oppress  him  ;  yet, 
if,  like  Clay,  he  feels  the  Promethean  spark  within,  let  him  remember  that  his  '••ountry, 
like  a  generous  mother,  extends  her  arms  to  welcome  and  to  cherish  every  o  •  ."  ^«r 
children  whose  genius  and  worth  may  promote  her  prosperity  or  increase  her  reno,vi? 


BEING  THE  ABOVE,  TO  WHICH    IS  ADDED 

HIS  MOST  ABLE  AND  POPULAR  SPEECHES. 

steel  Portrait,  633  pp.  8vo.,  Muslin,  $2  00;  Morocco,  Marble  Edge,  S2  50. 

"The  rush  of  native  eloquence,  resistless  as  Niagara, 
The  keen  demand,  the  clear  reply,  the  fine  poetic  image, 
The  nice  analogy,  the  clenching  fact,  the  metaphor,  bold  and  free, 
The  grasp  of  concentrated  intellect,  wielding  the  omnipotence  of  truth. 
Upon  whose  lips  the  mystic  bee  hath  dropped  the  honey  of  persuasion.'" 

As  a  leader  in  a  deliberative  body,  Mr.  Cday  had  no  equal  in  Araer 
ica.  In  him,  intellect,  person,  eloquence  and  courage,  united  to  form  a  character  fit  to 
command.  He  fired  with  his  own  enthusiasm,  and  controlled  by  his  amazing  will,  indi- 
viduals and  masses.  No  reverse  could  crush  his  spirit,  nor  defeat  reduce  him  to  des- 
pair. Equally  erect  and  dauntless  in  prosperity  and  adversity,  when  successful,  he 
moved  to  the  accomplishment  of  his  purposes  with- severe  resolution;  when  defeated 
he  rallied  his  broken  bands  around  liim,  and  from  his  eagle-eye  shot  along  their  rank 
the  contagion  of  his  own  courage.  Destined  for  a  leader,  he  everywhere  asserted  his 
destiny.  In  his  long  and  eventt'iil  life,  he  came  in  contact  with  men  of  all  ranks  and  pro- 
fessions, but  he  never  felt  that  he  was  in  the  presence  of  a  man  superior  to  himself  In 
tho  assemblies  of  the  people,  at  the  bar,  in  the  Senate — everywhere  within  the  circle 
of  his  personal  presence,  he  tissumed  and  maintained  a  position  of  pre-eminence. 

aold  by  all  Booksellers.    Mailed,  post-piid,  to  any  liidross,  upon  recipt  of  price. 

C.  M.  SAXTOISr,  BAKKER  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

25  Park  lioic,  J^^'eio  Yr-r7,: 


